THE POWER OF THE BLOOD: Part 2



THE POWER OF THE BLOOD: Part 2

“The Old Testament Sacrifices”

• Last week, we left the children of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai….let’s back up just a bit…then we will go forward…

• Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”

• The Bible has been telling us this fact for thousands of years….but for some reason it wasn’t til 1628 when a Dr. William Harvey discovered how blood actually circulates through our body…

BLOOD FACTS:

• The blood that goes through our veins is still a mystery …it is so complex that a whole entire medical specialty, called hematology, is dedicated to its study!

• Our blood circulates around our entire body approximately every 23 seconds! It is constantly in motion…..there can be NO LIFE without the BLOOD

• Our BLOOD is the only part of our bodies that is not “fixed”…it is free to move all over our bodies.

• The average adult has 10 pints of blood in his body….Normally 7% of our body’s weight is BLOOD.

• Our BLOOD is made in the bone marrow…it recycles and cleanses itself hundreds of times a day…it gives us strength…it is the protector of the body…it fights illnesses and disease…it is our body’s frontline against germs, bacteria, and anything else that is harmful. It helps us maintain a constant body temperature

• Approximately 32,000 pints of blood are used in the USA EVERYDAY!...so when we donate healthy blood…it is a HUGE DEAL….good health is not possible with poor blood…blood transfusions literally save thousands of lives each year.

• BLOOD is a miracle fluid that only God could make…..without blood…life ends…think about it…if one of your muscles stopped working, you would still live…but if your blood fails…the ENTIRE BODY DIES

• BLOOD is sacred…it is precious…it is vital to life….because of this…when the act of murder and the shedding of another person’s blood happens…the BLOOD itself CRIES OUT for God’s justice…

• That’s exactly what happened when Cain killed Abel

• Genesis 4:10-11 God asks Cain…”What have you done? The voice of your brother’s BLOOD cries out to Me from the ground. So now you re cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

• The bad news is…ever since this time…human beings have continued to shed one another’s blood….totally IGNORING what God said about how priceless the BLOOD is…

• Look what Micah says about it…Micah 7:2-4 “The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for BLOOD; every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands; the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire; so they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge.”

• Now while most of us surely haven’t murdered someone…we have definitely all sinned one way or another…we have been selfish, jealous or other things like that…

• Human life has become so cheap to us….we even have laws that say its OK to kill 3,700 babies EVERY DAY…that’s on every 24 seconds…or 1,350,000 every year through ABORTION. For every 100 births in the US, there are 31 abortions…

• Like we talked about last week… One of the principles of life is that once we no longer understand WHY something is important…we no longer have a reason to value it….this is a very dangerous thing…hence the reasons for so many abortions and killings…

• When you think of BLOOD…it either repulses you or it appeals to you….Our whole outlook on BLOOD has become distorted…..many people are squeamish when they see blood…others are fascinated it to a WEIRDNESS…

• Hollywood even understands that people are drawn to bloodshed and gore…YUCK…people involved in the occult use blood in certain ceremonies …do you get it….Satan understands the SACREDNESS of BLOOD and causes people to misuse it for his PERVERSE and EVIL POWERS….which is the reason for all the vampire shows lately….Satan is perverting the sacredness of the BLOOD…..we need to OPEN OUR EYES and see in the spiritual realm at what is really going on….with all the OBSESSIVENESS of “Twilight” and “New Moon”…or the recent movies called “SAW”…the devil is trying to draw this generation more and more away from what God says is holy and sacred…and people who call themselves CHRISTIANS…go right along with it!

• Check out this disturbing news: According to Variety, a vial of blood from SAW star Tobin Bell (Jigsaw) was used to make posters for SAW III.

"We decided to do a poster and he's wearing a red cloak. I was talking to the printer and asked what we could do to get the deepest blood red. I asked if it would be possible to use actual blood. There was silence. He said, 'We could try, but are you serious?' I said I was dead serious," Lionsgate marketing's Tim Palen said."He said, 'That's really weird,'" Palen recalled. But Bell agreed, and a trip to the doctor's office was scheduled.The posters from the first printing, about 1,000 in all, will be sold for $20, minus the first print, which will be auctioned off. All proceeds from the auction and sales will go to the Red Cross”……………………….now check out the twist…”all proceeds will go to the Red Cross”…….that’s just like the devil to take something and try to make it seem “good” or “OK”, because they would give the money to a good cause

• Look at what the Bible says about blood drinkers…Leviticus 17:10-14… “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them EATS ANY BLOOD, I will set my face against that person who EATS BLOOD and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.

WARNING!!!!

THIS NEXT SECTION MIGHT TOTALLY FREAK YOU OUT!!!!

• but I want you to hang with me….the Bible clearly tells us to “watch and pray”…it also tells us that the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour”…and the enemy comes “to kill, steal, and destroy”…we are also “not to be ignorant of the devil’s schemes”…..let me enlighten you to just such a scheme…

• First, you need to understand that the demonic realm is very real…

• Without giving the devil any glory and without going too deep into it…with the recent OBSESSION with Vampires…in the movies, in books…even with “Christians”…I started wondering just what the deal was…so I did a lot of research and this is what I discovered…

• Why the fascination with vampires??? From the very ancient Jewish writings…all through history…(even Michelangelo painted a picture of her with Adam and Eve!!!!) there has been talk of a demonic presence that was named “Lilith”….Lilith…a prostitute of the demonic presence Ishtar (sound familiar?...Ishtar=the pagan demonic spirit that is worshipped through eggs and bunnies in the celebration of what we call Easter)…..this presence or demonic spirit…is the naked woman with long flowing hair and wings that you see in many of the “weird art” stores…like those in the Mall that also have those dragons and other strange demonic-looking stuff…some pictures show her as with a tail, others with claws and fangs…sometimes with the HEAD OF A LION….(now, how is THAT for “prowling around like a lion, seeking whom he can devour”!) she is considered the spirit behind willful abortions and lustful dreams…she is also considered the “mother of vampires and demons, the wife of Lucifer” (with is from a website on modern occultism)…she is also considered to have “seductive qualities” and is very popular among “feminists” and is talked about in some Masonic orders…..o WOW…..these things all have STRONGHOLDS in our area!

• NOW…why did I tell you all of that?.....TO GET YOU TO THINKING…..the demonic realm is REAL….and it operates here on the earth…..I believe that we are living in the end times…Jesus is coming back soon….the devil is aware of the signs of the times (as we should be too), he knows his time is short….so he is using everything he can to pull people over to his side…he is very seductive in this…I believe…hence the IMMENSE interest in vampires…the movies portray them as a “good thing”….something that appeals to people…because after all…we all hunger for the supernatural, so the devil will twist that all he can (which he only can if we give him a foothold)…how would we give him a foothold???...by watching or reading these books and movies!!!!!

• There is even a current weekly show called “Supernatural” on TV that is apparently “good vs. evil”…but twisted as Satan loves to do….but it also has an evil character named “Lilith”…coincidence? I don’t think so

• CHECK THIS OUT: Twilight is a fictional character from the DC Comics series Supergirl. She first appeared in Supergirl # 15, 1997.

History

A girl named Molly and her twin Jane were originally born on Apokolips and meant to become members of the Female Furies. The girls fled from Apokolips, and they found a new home on Earth (specifically Britain in the Middle Ages).

Immortal, and gifted with the power to resurrect the dead, Molly grew up in the times of the Black Death and used her healing powers to help the populace. However, Jane apparently had no abilities, and died from the Plague, but Molly had overused her powers, and could not bring her back. Cursing The Presence for this, Molly became the being now known as Twilight, who wandered the Earth for centuries hoping for revenge.

When she encountered the Earth Angel Supergirl, she decided to get revenge on The Presence by destroying one of his creations. Twilight learned how to tap into the darkness of her own soul, and project blasts of inky shadows, an ability she had no problem using to attack Supergirl.

But then Twilight learned that the Demon Queen Lilith had her sister Jane (who was very much alive), and Lilith used Jane as bait to lure Twilight into her services. When the Matrix/Angel aspect of Linda Danvers was separated from her, Lilith captured the Angelic Matrix, and used Twilight as a "bodyguard" for it. When Linda came to retrieve her other half, she had to fight Twilight, but gained her as an ally when Linda rescued Jane from Lilith. Lilith fatally injured Twilight, so Linda had Matrix merge with Twilight, and make her the new Angel of Fire, since Twilight deserved a happy ending. Twilight in turn used her healing abilities to restore Linda's powers to the levels she had when she and Matrix had first merged into Supergirl. Twilight's whereabouts are unknown.

New Earth

Twilight's status after the events of the Death of the New Gods is still unknown. Her existence in the post-Infinite Crisis continuity has yet to be determined as the Matrix Supergirl may or may not have been wiped from reality.

Powers and abilities

Twilight is an immortal who has the power to resurrect the recently dead for a limited amount of time. She also has the power to heal virtually any injury. She can also project shadowy energies which drain power from her victims. Even gods of darkness have been depicted as afraid of her darkness-based powers. Since bonding with Matrix, she has gained telekinesis, flame wings, flame vision, and the ability to teleport.

• SO…..why have I told you this????? What does this have to do with the BLOOD OF JESUS? …..EVERYTHING!!!!! We are not to be ignorant of the devil’s schemes….he twists and turns what is meant to be SACRED into craziness…..BE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR CULTURE!!!

• KNOW the Word of God!!!!!.....KEEP A WATCH OVER YOUR MIND!!!!

• _____________________________________________back to our study…

• Do you think Adam and Eve really understood the immensity of their disobedience??? Do you think they realized that they were unleashing a BLOODBATH on the entire earth? …probably not, because the Bible tells us that Eve was “deceived”…that’s how it all begins…we are DECEIVED by Satan…..thinking that things are “OK”, when the Bible has told us all along that they are NOT

• For thousands of years now we have had wars, massacres, and innocent killings…lots and lots of BLOODSHED…but the ultimate problem really is REBELLION against God

• ALL sin leads to death…ALL sin must be atoned for…

• Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus speaking: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.” But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”

• Our sin could only be paid for by BLOOD SACRIFICE…which is exactly what Jesus Christ did for us…..but before we go there….let’s continue our trek through the Old Testament

BACK TO WHERE WE LEFT OFF LAST WEEK…at Mt. Sinai:

• Exodus 19:17-18 reads “Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God and they stood as the base of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was smoking, because the Lord came down upon it in fire; its smoke went up like the SMOKE OF A FURNACE, and the whole mountain quaked severely.”

• Notice that Moses is describing the God of the covenant just exactly like Abraham did…”a SMOKING FURNACE”

• Abraham has been dead for 0ver 400 years….so God is going to reintroduce Himself to these people of His…He needs to tell these people about His character and what He is really like….so He gives them the 10 Commandments…

• Exodus 20 (recap)…”Thou shalt have no other Gods before me…Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image nor bow down to them…Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain…Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…Honor thy father and thy mother…Thou shalt not kill…Thou shalt not commit adultery…Thou shalt not steal…Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor…Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor’s”

• For the many loving reasons that God gave the 10 Commandments…one of which was to guide them in things that would be extremely beneficial to them and would keep them from harm….because, after all, these people had been in bondage for 400 years…they didn’t know how to live FREE…..another reason was to show them how holy He was….and how gracious He was to enter into this covenant with them….even knowing that they would never be able to keep all these commandments…

• To make all this super clear to the Hebrews,….along with giving the 10 Commandments…God also gave super specific directions for building a Tabernacle…Exodus 25:8 “Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them”….for establishing a very elaborate system of sacrifices (which we are going to look at today, because you guessed it….they are SACRIFICES that involve BLOOD!!)…and instructions for ordaining a priesthood.

• After Moses gets all these instructions from God…he builds an altar and offered a sacrifice to God. He took the BLOOD and splashed it against the altar, on the Commandments and other laws, and then on the people….later he would sprinkle the BLOOD over the Tabernacle and all its furnishings and then the people who would minister as priests

• Then check out what Moses says…..it’s very important!!!...

• Exodus 24:8 Then Moses said…”This BLOOD (not the 10 Commandments!) confirms and seals the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these laws.”

• GET THIS: I have heard people say that they can approach God by keeping all the 10 Commandments…..but God never intended Him to be approached that way…”by our works”…..think about it…..By keeping the 10 Commandments can you prove that BLOOD was shed?????...the answer is NOPE!

• God intended the Hebrews to approach Him the way He had always intended…through a BLOOD SACRIFICE for the forgiveness of sins…..That’s the ONLY way

• Hebrews 9:18-22 says it this way….. “This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without BLOOD. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, "This is the BLOOD of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with BLOOD, and without the shedding of BLOOD there is no forgiveness.”

• Back to the 10 Commandments….just looking at these laws would cause the children of Israel to realize just how short they would fall of God’s glory….and they would WANT TO run to the BLOOD COVENANT in order to be reconciled to God!!!

• SO when God devoted 12 chapters of the Bible to the details of the tabernacle and the sacrifices…it must have been a pretty important thing for us to know…(we are not going into all the details of the Tabernacle this week…just the sacrifices that God instructed them to have)

• Remember how God had told us from the very beginning…with Adam and Eve…that He was going to send a substitute.....well…this tabernacle set-up was designed to point the children of Israel in the right direction so that they would recognize the “Messiah…the Seed of Abraham” when He came on the scene!

• God knows that we learn best through pictures…so that’s exactly what He did for us in the Tabernacle….He is showing us how we come to God through Jesus…..this is the ONLY way….through the BLOOD of Jesus…

• In Exodus 25:1-9, God gives very, very detailed instructions about what is to be brought by the people for the building of the tabernacle…He explains to them that The Tabernacle will be a place where they would bring their sacrifices for sin and sacrifices for praise.

• God is very specific in telling them that they have to make their sacrifices here at the Tabernacle …not wherever they want to…and not in any way they wanted to.

• These sacrifices were a “type and shadow” of JESUS…the supreme sacrifice

• While the Old Testament sacrifices had to be offered daily, yearly, and for specific situations…only the BLOOD of Jesus was able to ATONE (to make amends for a sin or fault) for the sins of the whole world once and for all

• ATONE: The Hebrew word “kaphar”….the literal word means “to cover”

• So let’s take a look at the Sacrifice System that God set up…..it is very, very SYMBOLIC…this whole thing was to prepare us to understand the sacrifice of Christ

• These animals brought to be sacrificed were supposed to already BELONG to the person offering them…this helped to reinforce the message of the PERSONAL COST of sin….FYI…only later, when things had become corrupt, did people actually “purchase” their sacrifices on the temple grounds…and remember how angry that made Jesus…He flipped all the tables and stuff

• There were to be 5 types of sacrifices…each sacrifice would reveal something about the nature of the final sacrifice when God would give HIMSELF on our behalf.

• FYI…The system that God put in place called for 1,273 public sacrifices a year…which would amount to almost 2,000,000 public sacrifices from the time God established the system to the time He would come in the FLESH as the PERFECT SACRIFICE…then NO MORE sacrifices would be needed

• In addition to the official public sacrifices…there were MILLIONS of individual offerings….it was a continual BLOOD BATH…a continual reminder that the “wages of sin was death”…not because God was “gory” and “mean”….but because He is GOOD and JUST and HOLY and MERCIFUL and COMPASSIONATE!!!!!

• But you also have to remember that it was part of their culture to raise the animals and kill them for food... so killing animals was a routine part of their daily life…it didn’t gross them out like it would for us who are used to buying our meat neatly packaged in a grocery store!

• God was making it clear that man can only approach Him through an INNOCENT BLOOD SACRIFICE

• Now before we can really understand what a SCARIFICE was…we need to know what it meant back-in-the-day…because it means something TOTALLY different today!

• The Hebrew word for SACRIFICE was “KORBAN” which means to “COME NEAR”…..it means that the worshipper offers a sacrifice to God as an expression of his desire to DRAW NEAR to God…not to appease God’s wrath

• When WE think of the word “sacrifice” we think it means “giving up something of value”…but this is NOT IT!!!

• King David told us the TRUE meaning of sacrifice when he said in Psalm 73:28 “But it is good for me to DRAW NEAR to God…”

• James 4:8 “DRAW NEAR to God and He will draw near to you.”

• You will see as we go through the sacrifices that God had set up in the Tabernacle…that it was all about DRAWING NEAR to God…..not “giving up” something as we think it is….

• The 5 Types of offerings were: Sin Offerings, Trespass Offerings, Burnt Offerings, Meal Offerings, and Peace Offerings….by giving these offerings, it was an outward expression of what was inside their heart….you sacrificed to DRAW NEAR to God

• The SIN OFFERING and the TRESPASS OFFERING were MANDATORY offerings….they were associated with the sins of the nation and with the individual person

• The BURNT, MEAL, and PEACE offerings were VOLUNTARY offerings of praise and thanksgiving…they were not associated with the person’s sin…but were part of his worship to God….that’s why God was pleased when these voluntary offerings were made…He considered them a “sweet aroma”

• FYI…this is the type of offering that Noah offered when he got off the ark….Genesis 8:20 “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed BURNT OFFERINGS on it. The LORD smelled the PLEASING AROMA”

• Notice that 3 of the 5 of these offerings were associated with PRAISE AND WORSHIP rather than SIN….

• DO YOU GET IT: God expects us to so be free from the hold of sin because after all, that’s what Jesus died on the cross for…to free us from the law of sin and death….God EXPECTS us to walk in that FREEDOM and to WORSHIP HIM in it!!!!! How many people do you know that never seem to make it past the OUTER COURT…they just keep going round and round out there…always battling with the sin in their lives…never washing themselves clean with the Word and MOVING FORWARD!

• Let’s talk about these offerings that were to be offered in the Tabernacle on the Brazen Altar….

THE BRAZEN ALTAR

• The BRAZEN ALTAR was totally covered in polished bronze, so that the moment you approached it and looked at it…you saw yourself.

• FOR US: The Brazen Altar represents Christ’s sacrificial death for us…it reminds us of the BLOOD that He shed so we might be redeemed and brought back to God…we cannot bypass the cross

• You could have been the best Jew in the camp…but you could not get past here without a sacrifice….

• Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the BLOOD: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the BLOOD that makes an atonement for your souls.”

THE SIN OFFERING:

• Leviticus 4:1-5 “The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands- " 'If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. 4 He is to present the bull at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the LORD. 5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull's blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting.”

• Leviticus 4:13 " 'If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.”

• Leviticus 6:24-30 “The LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron and his sons: 'These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the LORD in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place. The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. Any male in a priest's family may eat it; it is most holy. But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place must not be eaten; it must be burned”

• Back in the day…you would present the Sin Offering because you are a sinner…in your core being, your nature…you are a sinner…you inherited it from Adam…and in order to approach a holy God…you must have a SIN OFFERING.

• The animal that you bring must be spotless…because it’s ultimately a picture of the perfect sacrifice…Jesus

• The Sin Offering would take place on the Brazen Altar…which is the first thing you would see as you entered the Outer Court of the Tabernacle

• Because it was a Sin Offering…the sacrifice has to be taken outside the camp away from the presence of God…so the priest takes the carcass of the animal beyond the gate and outside the camp to a place where ashes are brought from the Altar….the ashes indicate that an offering has been made and sin has been dealt with…

• Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”

• Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death”

• …this is why we need a Sin Offering…to reconcile us back to God….GOOD NEWS…Jesus is our Sin Offering

• To fulfill the Sin Offering…Jesus went “beyond the gate”….

• Hebrews 13:11-12 “The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.”

• DO YOU GET IT: He gave Himself for our sins…He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities…God laid on Him the iniquity of us all…look what Isaiah 53 says…

• Isaiah 53 “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;  And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment,  And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”

• Hebrews 10: Animal Sacrifices Insufficient

 1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Christ’s Death Fulfills God’s Will

5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

 “ Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,

      But a body You have prepared for Me.

       6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin

      You had no pleasure.

       7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—

      In the volume of the book it is written of Me—

      To do Your will, O God.’”

 8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them ” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.”[b] He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Christ’s Death Perfects the Sanctified

11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”[c] 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”[d] 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Hold Fast Your Confession   

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh”

• Since Jesus became our Sin Offering…God no longer sees us as sinners….He sees us clean at the place of ashes…which is the cross of Jesus…the most horrific thing in the whole world is when someone rejects Jesus and chooses to try to pay for his own sins….cause it just can’t be done….

• REMEMBER: We can only approach God through faith in the BLOOD of Jesus….not by “good works”

• So…the SIN OFFERING…was offered because we all have a sin nature…and for sins we committed unintentionally…without realizing it at the time

THE TRESPASS OFFERING

• This not only required the usual sacrifice…but also the payment of restitution…either to the offended person or to the priest if the offense was against God

• You would have to pay back what was taken or lost PLUS add 20% to it.

• You offered this sacrifice after the restitution had been made

• This offering show us Christ’s atoning for the DAMAGE of sin…not so much the guilt of sin…that was the sin offering…but the INJURY of sin

• Colossians 2:13-14 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has God quickened together with Jesus having forgiven you all TRESPASSES; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.”

• When we sin, the Holy Spirit CONVICTS us of that sin, but He doesn’t CONDEMN us…and we shouldn’t condemn ourselves….we have total forgiveness through Jesus as our Trespass Offering

• So…..to keep from condemning ourselves and carrying around a huge burden of guilt…we CONFESS OUR SINS and claim the forgiveness that is already ours

• 1 John 1:6-9 “If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

• But just confessing is enough…we also have to make restitution….Jesus speaks of this in the New Testament…

• Matthew 5:23-24 “So, when you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother holds something against you, leave your gift there at the altar and go and become reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

• Ephesians 4:26-27 “If you are angry , don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you till angry—get over it quickly; for when you are angry you give a MIGHTY FOOTHOLD to the devil.”

• God has a much better way for us…James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

• __________________

• This is where many people STOP in their pursuit of God….this is what we talked about a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about the TRANSFORMATION PROCESS….a lot of Christians get “saved”…then stop…no more growth….they think they have their “fire insurance policy”…so they just go on living…..BUT definitely not living in the ABUNDANT covenant life that the Bible promises…

• Their position in God may be “secure”….but there are no spiritual blessings that are evident….

• It’s because they have not appropriated….(fancy word for “put in place”) Jesus as their BURNT OFFERING, MEAL OFFERING and PEACE OFFERING!!!

• When we make these next three offerings….we are now asking God to FELLOWSHIP with us…..that is the ULTIMATE!!!!!...remember that these three are VOLUNTARY…..you gotta WANT IT!

THE BURNT OFFERING

• This sacrifice you would make here, represents YOU…you would now heavily lean your hands on the head of the animal and kill it….this is the way you would personally identify with the animal….it was not just a meaningless ritual…you totally understood that your sins are being symbolically transmitted to this animal that was worth a LOT to you…that YOU had raised…and that he is dying in YOUR place…it is your SUBSTITUTE… the priest would be there to meet you…its death is a sacrifice on your behalf…unless you claim the animal as your sin sacrifice, you cannot be accepted and declared clean…only with the BLOOD at the Brazen Altar can you enter the Tabernacle and get to God

• This act reminded you of the terrible price of sin

• I asked God to tell my WHY there had to be sooooooo many sacrifices…and I believe He told me it was for just THAT reason…to be a constant reminder to us….you may say…well, that seems a little overboard….but really? Does it? How many of us can go to bed with a “commitment” to follow Him…change our lives…not going to do what we have been doing wrong any longer…but we wake up in the morning and have totally forgotten what we just promised God the night before…..or either we made the commitment to Him in the morning…but by evening, when our friends have called us to “go out” …we completely forget the promise we made…..hence the reason maybe for the morning AND evening sacrifices….just my thoughts on the subject (

• This animal was not taking away their sins…only covering them…until Jesus Himself comes to take them away

• This sacrifice at the BRAZEN ALTER was to remind us that our past sins were forgiven…the WHOLE THING was burned up

• Romans 3:25 “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished”

• It also symbolized that our old, corrupt nature was dealt with…

• Romans 6:6 “Our old man was crucified with Him, that they body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

• It also symbolized the place that we offer OURSELVES to God…a BURNT OFFERING…totally consumed by the flames

• Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship

• Few Christians seem to realize that God wants our ENTIRE BODIES….not dead, but ALIVE…the very next verse proves it…

• Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

• DO YOU GET THIS: Unless you place your body on the altar, you cannot really discover what God’s will is for your life…it’s not til you give yourself ENTIRELY to God that your mind is RENEWED and the will of God begins to open up for you….

• From then on, your body no longer belongs to YOU….

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

• Jesus VOLUNTARILY left His heavenly home to become our BURNT OFFERING…John 6:38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.”

• Ephesians 5:2 “Christ loves us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

• This offering was all about you saying “HERE IS ALL OF ME, GOD!!!!!”

THE “MEAT” OFFERING

(also called the “Cereal or Meal” Offering)

• This was an offering of grain

• In the King James version it is translated “meat” because, in the days when that version was written…the word “meat” meant today what we call a “meal”

• This offering didn’t require any flesh…but it was made twice a day along with the burnt offering

• Only the finest ingredients could be used for this…NO leaven and NO honey was permitted….in the Bible, leaven represented SIN….and Honey, when used with leaven…represented the PLEASURE of sin….because, as the perfect Meal Offering…Jesus knew NO SIN..there could be no leaven and no honey in this

• OIL was used in this to symbolize the Holy Spirit…. oil was poured out on the flour of the Meal Offering just like the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus…Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is UPON ME…”

• SALT was used because it preserves and purifies from corruption…just as Jesus does for us….Jude 24 “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” …..but SALT also relates to our walk with God…Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth…”

• When we appropriate Jesus as our Meal Offering…we function as the salt of the earth…..just as there was no leaven or honey in Him…there should be none in us…we should walk with God in the power of the Holy Spirit

• In John 12:24….Jesus was speaking of His death and resurrection when he said “…Except a GRAIN OF WHEAT fall into the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.”

• Through His death and resurrection, Jesus PERFECTLY fulfilled the Meal Offering by becoming the Bread of Life for us

• As we experience the FELLOWSHIP with God…it creates in us a DESIRE to “come out” and be separated from the world…we no longer desire the things of the world…we actually desire to be holy because He is Holy!....we WANT to live a life that is so pleasing to Him that it is a “sweet aroma” to Him…..are you here yet???....Does your fellowship with Him cause your desires to so change that you want to be like Him….to be with Him…to never want to disappoint Him?????

THE PEACE OFFERING

• All the other offerings lead up to this one! This is the one we have been looking for…all the other offerings…we did not get to have a portion of….some of them were to be totally burned up…others had a portion that the priests were able to partake of….but THIS ONE is the only one that WE get a portion of!!!!

• The portion we get is God’s very own NATURE coming in us be way of the Holy Spirit

• 2 Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires

• They were called Peace offerings because they were offered by those who were at peace with God to express gratitude and obligation to God, and fellowship with Him

• This was an offering of CELEBRATION!!!!

• They were presented spontaneously…whenever the worshipper felt prompted to offer them

• Leviticus 19:5 "When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, offer it properly so you will be accepted by God.

• In this Peace Offering, the breast and the right shoulder were waved before God in a “7” motion….remember a long time ago when we talked about being “sevened” to God…or “in covenant” with Him…..?

• The BREAST represents your HEART…the RIGHT SHOULDER, your STRENGTH

• Along with the animal sacrifice, you also bring unleavened cakes and wafers mixed with oil plus loaves of leavened bread…there, in the courtyard of the Tabernacle, you eat the remainder of the sacrifice along with the loaves with your family and friends…it is a time of GREAT JOY as together you celebrate communion with God…

• As you are eating the portion returned to you by God…you are now symbolically feeding on His DIVINE NATURE…He is coming into you and you into Him…You are becoming ONE WITH GOD…

• At one time we were separated from God by our sins…being apart from God, we were restless…with NO PEACE in our hearts…but now…through the blood of Jesus…we may walk in fellowship…in communion with Him…walking in PEACE with Him and with each other…

• John 14:27, 16:33 Jesus said, “PEACE I leave with you; My PEACE I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubles, neither let it be afraid. These thins I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have PEACE. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer I have overcome the world.”

• THIS IS THE ULTIMATE!!!!!

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE WHOLE THING…

• All of these sacrifices were only SYMBOLISM…not the real thing…they POINTED you to the real thing…but it was not the real thing…it wasn’t good enough, because you had to keep on bringing the sacrifices over and over again…

• Every single sacrifice of BLOOD that was shed and poured out on the altar was sacred….each offering was important to God…each sacrifice pointed to the precious blood of the Lamb of God which would be sufficient to end all further sacrifices…but these things could only COVER your sins…not TAKE THEM AWAY

• BUT…In God’s perfect timing…Jesus fulfilled EVERY prophecy and every promise of God when He shed His blood for you and me

• Galatians 4:4-5 “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

• God had come to the earth in the man Jesus to pay the penalty for sin on our behalf!

• He came to purchase our SALVATION with His own blood!

• JESUS is the One whom Adam and Eve were waiting…the skins of innocent animals that covered their bodies were a constant reminder that He WOULD COME

• JESUS is the One Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Moses looked for…

• JESUS is the Passover Lamb that delivered the children of Israel from Egypt….

• JESUS is the One the OLD COVENANT sacrifices pointed to so that everyone would recognize Him when He arrived on the scene!!!

O, the POWER of THE BLOOD….

Part 3…next week

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