Understanding The Gifts Jesus Gave Us Through His Sacrifice

James Greer: [00:00:00] I'm so excited. What I'm going to tell you for a few minutes is not in your notes. But it's really the secret behind sacrifice. Because, see, sacrifice can actually lead to satisfaction. And when you hear sacrifice and satisfaction, they seem like they're on opposite ends. And that's what the devil wants you to think. He doesn't want you to know the truth about sacrifice. The right sacrifice is the only way to lead to the true satisfaction. And when I say satisfaction, I'm talking about in your marriage, on your job, but most of all, spiritually. And it's a secret because the devil wants to blind you to it. And what I want you to know, first of all, most people don't even know what sacrifice is. Most people think, well, the greatest sacrifice, of course, in the world was God giving his only son, Jesus Christ. That's what we're celebrating next week. Amen. But for me and you, sacrifice is this. It's giving up something that you love for something you love more. Now, some of y'all, that simply means if they come in and somebody's sitting in your place, you're upset. I had a lady tell me not long ago, did you know I came in and they were sitting in my chair? I didn't know that was your chair. I kind of thought the whole thing belong to God. I don't know. But I mean, our parking lot. Oh, by the way, if you got four-wheelers or golf carts, I hope you're shuffling the people next Sunday.

James Greer: [00:01:34] But I mean, it's giving up something you love for something that you love more. And God is always an example of sacrifice. God said, God so loved the world that He what? He gave or He sacrificed his only begotten son, whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. But not only you have everlasting life, guess what? God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world. And you're going to find out later on when we start talking about that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, but the world through Him might be saved. God does not want you to walk around condemned. Amen. He wants to set you free. Amen. So there's something interesting that I want you to know. That God demonstrated His love for me and you to sacrificing His son. But then His son sacrificed. But His son in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said this. He went a little further and He fell to His face and He prayed, saying, O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. But nevertheless not as I will, but as you will. Your will is. Did you know that His son Jesus sacrifice was to please the Father. So the sacrifice of God the Father was to give His son. The sacrifice of the son was to please His Father. One of the greatest sacrifices you can learn as a Christian. Are you ready?

James Greer: [00:03:06] Y'all did so good today. It is 9:00 too. Is learn to sacrifice your will to please the Father. When you learn to sacrifice your will to please the Father, the ultimate results of you'll be more satisfied than you ever have been in your life. But see, the devil does not want you to know that. Now, he doesn't want you to sacrifice. He don't want you to ruin your health. He don't want you to ruin your family. He don't want you to be an emotional basket. But he does want you to give up something for a greater purpose. I'd say until you learn to give up something for a greater purpose, until you learn to start living for a greater purpose and that greater purpose is to further God's kingdom, you're really never truly satisfied. It doesn't matter what you accumulate, it doesn't matter what you look like, it doesn't matter what the power you have. See, you've got to learn, say, Hey man, I'm going to sacrifice something. I'm going to give up something in my life to live for something greater in my life. It's greater than me. It's greater than my family. It's greater than my hobby. It's going to live on after me. And that is Jesus Christ and furthering His kingdom. And as you do that, you have to sacrifice. Can I tell you something? If you want a great marriage, you got to sacrifice.

James Greer: [00:04:24] When I did counseling, don't come to me. Because the reason everybody fights is because they don't want to sacrifice. They come to me and they start telling me about the other person. I've never had somebody come in and said, I have such a problem because we both sacrifice so much for each other. They come in and they talk about what the other person does. And see, what happens is when you get married, you get two selfish people wanting their own way and they have to get together and both of them start sacrificing, giving up something till they become one. It's that way on your job. You'll never enjoy your job till you understand you've got to sacrifice something. Young people will never be satisfied and really happy till they understand they've got to sacrifice their will for God's will. Can you believe the Bible says, Obey your parents in the Lord, for it is right? There's no young person ever came to me and said, Man, it's so exciting. I get to obey my parents. But the truth is, unless they tell them to do something ungodly, the truth is they'll be more satisfied and they'll have a happier life. See, it's a secret that the devil has lied and hidden from Christians. Do you want to know why it's such a secret?

James Greer: [00:05:38] Y'all wanna know why? Because it was Jesus' sacrifice that defeated the devil and set us free. That's what we're celebrating. It was the devil got defeated at Jesus' sacrifice. So we sacrifice our time. It's a sacrifice to come to church sometimes, isn't it? But once you get to church, I hope sometimes when you leave, you're satisfied and you're better off than you came. Sometimes I don't want to preach, but I've never not preached and afterwards been satisfied. It's a sacrifice to serve. I mean, we've got Debbie and Art. You don't ever see them. I think I got a picture of them. They come every single Sunday. A lot of times, they're here at 6:30 in the morning. You know, I got a picture of them. There they are. The guy in the middle is a good looking. Anyway. I sent them a note this week and I said, thanks for service, you know, Love you. This is what Art wrote back. The biggest honor I have all week is serving God. He didn't know I was preaching on this. I didn't ask him to write this or anything. No matter how the week goes, this is one of the most fulfilling things in my life. Sacrifice, Satisfied. Said I work all week. Same thing. You work all week.

James Greer: [00:07:02] But yet when I come and I preach and when you serve, it's one of the most fulfilling things you can get in your life. You can't get that on your job. You can't get that anywhere else in your life. But when you serve Jesus Christ, you get satisfied like nothing else can give to you. Now, see, that's great. Yeah. Amen. Sacrifice. The right sacrifice leads to the right satisfaction. Nothing else like it. And the devil does not want you to know that. And it happened in every single area of your life. The greatest secret is this. If you learn to sacrifice and put Jesus Christ first in every area of your life, you get satisfied in every area of your life. That's what Matthew 6:33 says. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be added. I know y'all probably don't know this, but what is everything else? Everything else. So when we learn this and it's a sacrifice to put Jesus first in every area of your life. But then you become satisfied in every area of your life. In fact, you can do it the other way. What area in my life am I most dissatisfied? And you can say that's probably where I need to be putting Jesus first in. That was the introduction. Thank you.

James Greer: [00:08:38] That's what I wrote on the bottom because I wrote that after the message. So I said, Ooh, I like that. Okay, we're going to talk about the message of Jesus' perfect sacrifice. Jesus' sacrifice makes everything beautiful in its time. It tells us in Hebrews chapter 10, it talks about, y'all understand, before Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, you'd have to bring sacrifices of animals, doves, bulls, and you have to bring them to a priest and he'd have to offer them for you. Now you get to go straight to Jesus. It said for the law, having a shadow. A shadow is kind of like a picture. It was a shadow of the good things to come. Let me tell you what. Y'all are living in the good times. Amen. And not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices. In other words, we're living in the good times. But those were a shadow. Year after year after year after year, you had to bring sacrifices to God, and it'd be a reminder of your sins. But those were a foreshadow. Those were a picture. You know, I love pictures. I love taking pictures. I love sharing pictures. I love looking at pictures later on. Sometimes I print the picture. But you know, the best thing about pictures, it's when I get, thank you. It's when I get to go there in person and take the picture.

James Greer: [00:09:56] I love pictures. Just like this was saying. It's a shadow of a good thing that's come. The pictures remind me of how blessed I am. Let me show you some of the pictures. How blessed I am to have gone to those places and see the real thing. I love to take the pictures. I love to bring them home. I had a lady that now has passed. In the last year in her life, she couldn't travel. And she said, Man, I get to travel through your pictures. As much as I love taking the pictures, as much as I love printing the pictures, as much as I love seeing the pictures, I can tell you there's nothing like the real thing of being there, taking the pictures. The same is true about Jesus Christ. You can hear about Him. You can learn about Him. You can even sacrifice to Him. But until you know Him personally, there's nothing like the real thing. Amen. And when you know Him, it changes everything. Because I want you to know Him. Because before Jesus came, before He sacrificed, you had to go through priests or pastors, whatever you want to call it. And you had to confess your sins. Now you can come to the pastor and you come to pray with you and to pray for you. But we're both going straight to Jesus, God.

James Greer: [00:11:15] Because it said, listen, in verse two, it went on and told us this in 10:2. It said, For when, for then would they not have ceased to be offered? They had at least five offerings. For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more conscience for sin. But the problem is this. It didn't do it. But in those sacrifices, listen to this, there is a reminder. A what? A reminder. How would you like to go and make a sacrifice? You'd go to the priest, confess your sins, make the sacrifice, and then it's a reminder of your sin. I want y'all to come every single Sunday because I want to remind you of your sin. That's exciting Sundays. Amen. How would you like to come every single Sunday and remember because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, listen, you're forgiven. It's a reminder, but it's a reminder that your sins are forgiven, not a reminder of your sins. Isn't that a good reminder? So every Sunday when you come, it's a reminder. Because Jesus Christ was a great sacrifice. Not like it used to be. Because what it is today, you sin, but it's a reminder that Jesus wiped away your sin and you're forgiven of your sin. Not keep reminding you can't be forgiven. For it was not possible that the bull blood of bulls and goats could take away the sin. They had to live in it. They couldn't take him away. Man, they'd come, give blood and goats and bulls trying to have their sins once and for all. But they couldn't. It just would not happen. You know, I'd hate to live like that.

James Greer: [00:12:55] I'd hate to live like one over and over and over. It's just impossible. I want to try to do better. I want to offer more. I want to give more. I just can't have my sins forgiven. Listen, there are some people that try to live like that. There's people who say, When I get good enough, I'm going to come to church. Good luck on that. There's some people get saved. Just, you know, I just can't seem to live good enough. You can't. I can't. We do the best we can. God's Holy Spirit empowers us to live better than we've ever had. We can have a new freedom like never before. But Jesus forgives us our sins. Then he said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God. Jesus did. To take away the first, the way we used to have to do it, to offer sins, go to the priest. That I may establish the second, a new way. Which is the way that we do. Aren't you glad that Jesus makes everything beautiful in its time? Aren't you glad that you don't have to offer bulls and goats and doves and that you can go straight to God? He says, by that, will we have been sacrificed through the offerings of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. What are we going to do Wednesday night? Have the Lord's Supper. We're going to be a reminder of what Jesus Christ did. And he did it one time and he did it once and for all. And every priest stands ministering daily, offering repeatedly. Oh, man. And the same sacrifice which can never take away the sin. I'm glad I don't have to come and do sacrifices for y'all. I'm glad that I don't have all y'all come tell me. I'm glad that I don't know all y'all sins and then have to go.

James Greer: [00:14:33] I got enough of my own sins. Aren't you glad that y'all don't have to go through me to have your sins forgiven? And everybody said amen. Not only that, you'd be in trouble because I'd have a hard time. But anyway. But this man, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for the sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. You know why this man named Jesus? He had never sinned. And because we sinned, His sin was acceptable to God. This is so cool. His sacrifice satisfied God for our sins. From that time, waiting till his enemies are made His footstool. I'm telling you, man, God is so good, how He makes everything perfect in His time because we become His footstool. And for one time, one offering, He was perfect forever those who are being sanctified, those who are being cleansed. See, Jesus said He makes everything beautiful in His time. In the past when you had to go after the death, burial and resurrection after confess our sins, those times were offered and all that. That's all over. You couldn't go directly to God at that time. You couldn't ever really be satisfied. You couldn't really be happy. But listen, once you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior right now, guess what? You don't have to come to me. We can all do that together. Y'all don't have to come to me. And everybody said. Guess what? I'm going to say? Amen.

James Greer: [00:16:18] Because of that, you can go directly to your Father in Heaven. And guess what your Father in Heaven said? Jesus said to her and to me, and you, don't cling to me because after the resurrection, listen, I've not yet ascended. But He then says, I'm going to send to my Father that I'm going to go to my brother and tell him. In other words, after the resurrection, He said, I'm going to be your father and my God and your God. In other words, He said, Listen, after you believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as your savior, He gets to be your father and your God. You now have a godfather and a God. He said, I'll be your father to you and you shall be sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. In other words, instead of going through a priest and a pastor to get to God after you accept Him, there's no more sacrifice and no more blood sacrifice because Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice. And you become children, sons and daughters of God. And you can just go and say, Daddy, I need help. And He knows you. You go, James, I need help. I can't help you. You say, I'll pray with you. Okay. I pray with you. I say, in Jesus' name, we're going to go to the Father. And we can go directly to Him. Jesus makes everything beautiful in His time. Not only does He does that. Second of all, we got a rock and roll. Jesus sacrificed, tore down the wall between us.

James Greer: [00:17:37] See, now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness all over the land. Can I tell you something? If you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you got darkness in your life and only Jesus can bring the light to your life. And then verse 40, Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up the spirit. Can I tell you they didn't take Jesus' life? He gave it. And then and behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. And there was an earthquake and the rocks were split. Do you understand one of the first things that God did, He said my son's sacrifice was acceptable. And He said, I tore the veil in the temple because you couldn't go there. Only the priests could go there. God said, I've been waiting for thousands and thousands of thousands of years for this to happen. At the moment Jesus gave it up, God said acceptable. I tore the veil of the temple and he said, Man, now my children can come directly to me. Now He was telling you, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting that I could talk to you and you could talk to me. And he said, Guess what? Now you don't have to wait. Anywhere you're at in the world, any time, any day, at church, at home, at work, anytime, the veil is torn. And God said, Here I am, you can come to me now. Isn't that something? That's how bad God's wanting to get to us. One of the first things that happened. He said, You don't have to live in condemnation anymore because there now there's no more condemnation. Because those who are in Christ, now you come to Christ. You don't have to live in condemnation anymore. You confess your sin. He's faithful and just and forgiven.

James Greer: [00:19:06] Anywhere, anytime that you want to come to Him. God is a great God. Amen. And He'll forgive you. You know what else Jesus does? He breaks down the walls and brings peace. He tells us in Ephesians 2, verse 13, listen to this. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Amen. For He Himself is our peace. Who is our peace? He Himself. He Himself, his name is Jesus. Who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. Now, first of all, that means several things. First of all, when you accept Jesus Christ, the blood paid the price. There was a wall between you and God. He broke it down. But it means more than that. He said, I am your peace. Jesus said, I am the peace. And when you don't have peace, there's some wall there. I would tell you that are married and couples, I said, Listen, when you get God, He's the only one that can break down the wall between you and your mate. And so he said, where do you need the wall broken down? Well, let me ask you, do you have the right relationship with God in your marriage? He breaks down the wall. So, see, in relationships, there's a wall that needs to be broken down. And God said, I sent my son to break the walls down where I can bring, where we're broken relationships, I can bring them back together.

James Greer: [00:20:32] And that can be with your family, can be with your kids, it can be with your mate. But most of all, it's with Jesus Christ. Let me ask you something. What causes the wall between you and God? Sin. There's original sin that we got to ask Jesus Christ into our heart to forgive us. And then there's rebellion that breaks down the wall. What causes a wall between you and your mate or you in a relationship? Somebody is not willing to sacrifice. It's rebellion. It's sin. And Jesus said, I am your peace. I'm willing to break down the wall. What's the wall in your finances? There's some way you rebelled against God's plan for your life. And Jesus said, Hey, I'm still here to give you a plan to break it down. What's causing you? If you're here today and you do not have peace, what's the wall? Jesus said, I am your peace. I don't want you to be separated from your peace. James 1:5 says, If you lack wisdom, let me ask. I'll give it to you. God says, I enjoy giving my people wisdom. So let you stand and let me pray with you and pray for you. First of all, as you stand, your heads bowed and eyes shut, for those people that want the middle wall broken down, I say, Hey, first of all, there's a wall between you and God, and Jesus breaks that wall down. And you just want to pray something like this. You just want to say, God, I need that wall broken down. I know that Jesus can break that wall down. I want Him to break it down.

James Greer: [00:22:17] I want you to come into my heart. I want the God of peace to live there. I want you to forgive me of my sins. I want you to be my Lord and Savior. See, if you prayed that and you want God to break down that middle wall and you want that peace that surpasses all understanding, right now, would you just raise your hand for me? Just raise your hand. Amen. So raise your hand. Just keep it up. Raise your hand. Raise your hand. I mean, I know there's a wall. Ushers are going to give you a package. Just take the package. Keep your hands up and take the package they give you. And if you will, just fill out the first page. Say, Hey, I know that I'm here today and I know there's a wall between me and Christ. I know I'd like to have that wall broken down. I know Jesus can break that wall down. I want Him to come into my heart. I want Him to be my Savior. Heads bowed and eyes shut. Let's just pray something together. Keep your heads shut. Say, Dear God, everybody. I want that wall broken down between me and God. I believe Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, died for my sins and rose on the third day. I want Him to come into my heart and be the Lord of my life. Now, while our heads are bowed and eyes are shut, of course, He wants to be our Savior. But some of you are having an unbelievable relationship problems. And you're thinking right now, I just wonder what the real problem is in that relationship.

James Greer: [00:24:03] Is it me not sacrificing? And God, on my part. I'm going to make a commitment to do what's right today. Some of you came and you just don't have peace. And Jesus said, He is your peace. Now, Father, for those that need the walls broken down, I pray that you'd give them the insights that they need. You said anybody that lacks it, let them give it to them. God, for those that need peace, God, using your Word, you said you are their peace. God, maybe there's those that need to join the church or follow through in baptism. Today is the day simply that you need to join the church or you want to follow through in baptism, you can just raise your hand right now and they'll give you a card. If you want to join the church or follow through in baptism, just raise your hand. That's all. I just thank you for today. Most of all, I thank you for Jesus who was the ultimate sacrifice that we don't have to go through anybody. You tore the veil where we can go straight to you, that we're your children. God, I pray that you would give each one the wisdom for decisions they need to make. Maybe they need to come and pray with one of these counselors. God, maybe they came and they are heavy laden and burdened. Whatever it is, God, upon their heart. I pray today that they could go home with a supernatural peace. God, I pray that you'd have your will and your way. I pray it in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.


Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.