Lately, I have been looking at the life of John Adams. A founding father of the United States. One of the five men who drafted the Declaration of Independence. The second President of the United States and father of the sixth President. He wore many hats actually.
I'm at the point where I am reading the correspondence between him and his wife before and during the war for independence. In a way, it feels strange reading someone else's mail. If these people were still around it would be an invasion of privacy but because they are historical figures, who saved the letters in part to preserve a time that was fading from the public memory during their own lifetime, I feel more justified.
John Adams was a farmer and a lawyer and the idea of revolution was a scary one. They weren't rich people and there is little monetary compensation during a revolution. Freedom from tyranny would have it's payoff later for some. Others would lose fortunes. This family relied heavily on the income from their farm and that meant Abigail and the children needed to work hard and live in a frugal way.
They knew people would die and just one death was such a high cost but the felt as a colony their backs were up against a wall and they were left with few choices. Buckle under or revolt.
They were brave people. They trusted in God. The Hollywood accounts don't show or emphasize that but they were people of faith. Not all the founding father were but they were.
Here are a few passages that come to mind this morning...
"I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!" - Psalm 120:7 ESV
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' " - John 8:31-32 ESV
Liberty is worth the struggle but the choices are rarely easy that is true on a national and a personal level.
We all have personal struggles. Health. Finances. Relationship. Dreams that seem far from realization. Reading these letters reminds me that others have struggled and prevailed. Freedom is rare in this world but God wants us to be free. He has provisions for those who seek freedom for themselves and others.
The Apostle Paul could say this...
"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
Jesus has won the war and has reconcilied God and mankind. What about our battles? Does His victory reach that far? It can. We can possess the freedom that is already ours.
John and Abigail Adams let truth guide their decision making. They valued human dignity and took a stand at great cost. Will we do the same?
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Showing posts with label Sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sacrifice. Show all posts
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Get On The Boat
It is funny when you suddenly see that there has been a 'theme' in your meditation that you didn't know was there.
I realize mine has been, 'What Jesus had and didn't have.'
"That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 'He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.' Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, 'Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' Another of the disciples said to him, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' And Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.' And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him." - Matthew 8:16-23 ESV
It is easy to lament about what we do or don't have. Jesus was aware of the voids in His life and yet He was without sin.
There are trade off aren't there?
Most of us are not rich but we have things that Jesus didn't have. Creature comforts. A set of mugs. Curtains. We buy the cheese we like at the store. We ride instead of walk. We get this instead of that.
Part of me says, 'There is nothing wrong with that.' but another part says, 'I want to be with Jesus... I want to be like Jesus...'
People want more but I often think people have too much. Societies have too much. Individuals are distant because what they have is blocking them from intimacy and provides temptation.
I'm not preaching poverty.
I just want to get on the boat when it is time to get on the boat. Some never pull away from shore because what they have holds them back from what Jesus has.
I identify with this person who wants to bury their father. They want time to do what is honorable. They want to make memories. They don't want to aleinate their family. I get it. Sure I do. Which one of us doesn't get that?
But...
The boat is leaving. Jesus is moving. He Is alive and going forward. He won't apologize for it either.
I want to encourage you to go with Him. I'm not telling you to give up everything but you already know that your ten suitcases aren't going to fit on that little boat. Your plans of comfort and security are not going to work fully into that trip.
The boat is going to depart today. Jesus Is going in an uncomfortable direction. Go with Him by faith. It won't be easy but you won't regret it... Later... I promise you... we won't regret it.
--
I realize mine has been, 'What Jesus had and didn't have.'
"That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 'He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.' Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, 'Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' Another of the disciples said to him, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' And Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.' And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him." - Matthew 8:16-23 ESV
It is easy to lament about what we do or don't have. Jesus was aware of the voids in His life and yet He was without sin.
There are trade off aren't there?
Most of us are not rich but we have things that Jesus didn't have. Creature comforts. A set of mugs. Curtains. We buy the cheese we like at the store. We ride instead of walk. We get this instead of that.
Part of me says, 'There is nothing wrong with that.' but another part says, 'I want to be with Jesus... I want to be like Jesus...'
People want more but I often think people have too much. Societies have too much. Individuals are distant because what they have is blocking them from intimacy and provides temptation.
I'm not preaching poverty.
I just want to get on the boat when it is time to get on the boat. Some never pull away from shore because what they have holds them back from what Jesus has.
I identify with this person who wants to bury their father. They want time to do what is honorable. They want to make memories. They don't want to aleinate their family. I get it. Sure I do. Which one of us doesn't get that?
But...
The boat is leaving. Jesus is moving. He Is alive and going forward. He won't apologize for it either.
I want to encourage you to go with Him. I'm not telling you to give up everything but you already know that your ten suitcases aren't going to fit on that little boat. Your plans of comfort and security are not going to work fully into that trip.
The boat is going to depart today. Jesus Is going in an uncomfortable direction. Go with Him by faith. It won't be easy but you won't regret it... Later... I promise you... we won't regret it.
--
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Use The Bronze Vessels
The priests represents many things in the Hebrew scriptures. They are mediators. They processed what was brought to them in a special way.
"The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the LORD's food offerings as their inheritance." - Deuteronomy 18:1 ESV
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." - Revelation 1:6 KJV
We are a kingdom of priests... a royal priesthood. Our inheritance is different.
"Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering... The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting... And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water. Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire." - Leviticus 6:25a, 26, 28-30 ESV
Notice how the clay vessels used to 'process' the offering are broken but the bronze ones are scoured and washed.
Earthen vessels speak of humanity.
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV
We are shaped things. Beautiful fragile and porous.
God's things are durable.
"But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD... And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD." - Joshua 6:19, 24 ESV
Jesus' earthen vessel was broken when he made an offering for our sin but God washed off the bronze vessel of His divine judgement.
The doctrine of the cross is a divine concept. It is unchanged by circumstances and time. It can be reused again and again but we are earthen vessels porous and fragile. If we process sin through our self life we will set ourselves up for destruction.
We need to let sin be processed by the doctrine of the cross. It is bronze and durable. The doctrine can be rinsed off and reused. The stress of processing sin is to much for us. We must live in newness.
Let's bring everything that has to do with sin and process it in the holy place. The offering goes in but nothing comes out again. The only thing that should leave the temple is ashes and even those are brought into the wilderness and left there where no one can find them.
--
"The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the LORD's food offerings as their inheritance." - Deuteronomy 18:1 ESV
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." - Revelation 1:6 KJV
We are a kingdom of priests... a royal priesthood. Our inheritance is different.
"Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering... The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting... And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water. Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire." - Leviticus 6:25a, 26, 28-30 ESV
Notice how the clay vessels used to 'process' the offering are broken but the bronze ones are scoured and washed.
Earthen vessels speak of humanity.
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV
We are shaped things. Beautiful fragile and porous.
God's things are durable.
"But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD... And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD." - Joshua 6:19, 24 ESV
Jesus' earthen vessel was broken when he made an offering for our sin but God washed off the bronze vessel of His divine judgement.
The doctrine of the cross is a divine concept. It is unchanged by circumstances and time. It can be reused again and again but we are earthen vessels porous and fragile. If we process sin through our self life we will set ourselves up for destruction.
We need to let sin be processed by the doctrine of the cross. It is bronze and durable. The doctrine can be rinsed off and reused. The stress of processing sin is to much for us. We must live in newness.
Let's bring everything that has to do with sin and process it in the holy place. The offering goes in but nothing comes out again. The only thing that should leave the temple is ashes and even those are brought into the wilderness and left there where no one can find them.
--
Thursday, March 19, 2015
The Idea Of Substitution
In the original perfect environment substitution seemed unknown.
Adam did not even seem to think of giving himself for Eve. We don't see anything given in exchange for anything else yet. It seems the human race had no need for trade, exchange or substitution until this instance.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." - Genesis 3:6 KJV
Adam just joined Eve.
"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." - Genesis 3:21 KJV
God showed the human race substitution. An animal's blood was shed for them so they could be warm and survive their new environment. God didn't sell them anything. The serpent was selling something to Eve apart from Adam and God. God gave them both something.
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." - 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 KJV
"But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
The living soul joins and dies but the quickening spirit dies to self through identification without compromise and lives.
Jesus became the ultimate substitute. He walked the Earth as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Soulish life looks prosperous until the road block comes. Spiritual life looks to the One who gave all. It dies, gets buried and is raised three short days later. Spiritual life sits in Heavenly places because the right substitute is already sitting there.
"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:6-11 KJV
Grace is intertwined with this idea. God gave great grace when He gave His Son to us. Jesus had an attitude of grace that went hand in hand with the idea of giving His life.
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ESV
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:10 ESV
A once and for all sacrifice has been made by the once and for all substitute.
Have we as individuals learned the lesson or will we just bite the apple that is handed to us?
---
Adam did not even seem to think of giving himself for Eve. We don't see anything given in exchange for anything else yet. It seems the human race had no need for trade, exchange or substitution until this instance.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." - Genesis 3:6 KJV
Adam just joined Eve.
"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." - Genesis 3:21 KJV
God showed the human race substitution. An animal's blood was shed for them so they could be warm and survive their new environment. God didn't sell them anything. The serpent was selling something to Eve apart from Adam and God. God gave them both something.
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." - 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 KJV
"But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
The living soul joins and dies but the quickening spirit dies to self through identification without compromise and lives.
Jesus became the ultimate substitute. He walked the Earth as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Soulish life looks prosperous until the road block comes. Spiritual life looks to the One who gave all. It dies, gets buried and is raised three short days later. Spiritual life sits in Heavenly places because the right substitute is already sitting there.
"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:6-11 KJV
Grace is intertwined with this idea. God gave great grace when He gave His Son to us. Jesus had an attitude of grace that went hand in hand with the idea of giving His life.
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ESV
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:10 ESV
A once and for all sacrifice has been made by the once and for all substitute.
Have we as individuals learned the lesson or will we just bite the apple that is handed to us?
---
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Cleaning Up
"They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. The priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, 'We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.' " - 2 Chronicles 29:15-19 ESV
In the verses to follow King Hezekiah would order the offerings to be made and there would be worship.
"And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly." - 2 Chronicles 29:36 ESV
This whole chapter is a picture of conversion. I want to read it again and again and ask God to show me the little details and nuances that are found in these passages. This morning verses fifteen through nineteen really stuck in my mind.
I have never killed an animal and offered it up to God nor do I need to. Jesus is my priest and my offering. I have however taken out the trash and done the dishes. I have helped people move and done demo on a structure where the broken up structure needed to be dragged out and thrown into a dumpster.
A clean empty sink is a wonderful thing isn't it? Someone must clean the utensils.
You could preach a very legalistic message using this passage... a 'How can you worship if your house has not been cleaned first? Clean up your house.' sermon.
But if you look King Hezekiah isn't the one who cleaned up the mess. The priests did it.
Our priest is the One who does this work. He cleans and He offers. We reap the benefit of His work.
"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." - Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV
"When he said above, 'You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings' (these are offered according to the law), then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.' He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God" - Hebrews 10:8-12 ESV
No one wants faithless artifacts cluttering up our life. God will take them away if we let Him. The water of the Word can wash us clean. The sacrifice has already been made.
---
In the verses to follow King Hezekiah would order the offerings to be made and there would be worship.
"And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly." - 2 Chronicles 29:36 ESV
This whole chapter is a picture of conversion. I want to read it again and again and ask God to show me the little details and nuances that are found in these passages. This morning verses fifteen through nineteen really stuck in my mind.
I have never killed an animal and offered it up to God nor do I need to. Jesus is my priest and my offering. I have however taken out the trash and done the dishes. I have helped people move and done demo on a structure where the broken up structure needed to be dragged out and thrown into a dumpster.
A clean empty sink is a wonderful thing isn't it? Someone must clean the utensils.
You could preach a very legalistic message using this passage... a 'How can you worship if your house has not been cleaned first? Clean up your house.' sermon.
But if you look King Hezekiah isn't the one who cleaned up the mess. The priests did it.
Our priest is the One who does this work. He cleans and He offers. We reap the benefit of His work.
"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." - Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV
"When he said above, 'You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings' (these are offered according to the law), then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.' He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God" - Hebrews 10:8-12 ESV
No one wants faithless artifacts cluttering up our life. God will take them away if we let Him. The water of the Word can wash us clean. The sacrifice has already been made.
---
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Only One Altar
"Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning, they have become to him altars for sinning. Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing." - Hosea 8:11-12 ESV
For political reasons Ephraim set up many places for people to make sacrificial offerings but those places just became places where the people 'fell short' over and over again.
An altar is a place where religious ceremony is carried out. A sacrifice is made there. It is not a practical place for the person making the sacrifice. No food is made there, no money is made and nothing is learned. You bring something and leave it there to assuage your guilt.
"As for my sacrificial offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but the LORD does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt." - Hosea 8:13 ESV
The priests however do profit from the altar. Portions of the meat brought to the altar are what fed the priesthood. More sacrifices meant more meat.
This whole thing was not pleasing to God. Because of the emotional rebellion of the priesthood bowing to politics for personal gain God would usher a return to bondage for the whole system.
The cross is our one altar and it was outside the religious system. Romans crucified Christ under pressure from the Hebrew religious system of the day who was forbidden to execute criminals. But, On a deeper level God was sending His Son to die for sin. Jesus became sin. All of the sins of the world past, present and future were placed on Him and in one very unceremonious act sins were paid for.
"But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." - Hebrews 10:12-14 ESV
Do we have many altars or just one?
Our many altars just become places where sin is multiplied. People deal with guilt in many complex ways giving and doing all kinds of things as a way to feel better about themselves but God only has one altar. It is a rough hewn wooden cross that stood unceremoniously outside of Jerusalem's walls where a Savior gave His life.
Tear down your altars if you have them. They are worthless places that just usher a return to previous bondage.
It is finished and Christ is alive. We don't get our sustenance from the meat coming off the altar we commune with the blood and body of our once and for all sacrifice. It is free from all political or economic attachments. We live guilt free among a people that live guilt free. Ten thousand subtle rules and guidelines could never produce that in our lives. One Savior on one cross setting us free is what made that happen.
--
For political reasons Ephraim set up many places for people to make sacrificial offerings but those places just became places where the people 'fell short' over and over again.
An altar is a place where religious ceremony is carried out. A sacrifice is made there. It is not a practical place for the person making the sacrifice. No food is made there, no money is made and nothing is learned. You bring something and leave it there to assuage your guilt.
"As for my sacrificial offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but the LORD does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt." - Hosea 8:13 ESV
The priests however do profit from the altar. Portions of the meat brought to the altar are what fed the priesthood. More sacrifices meant more meat.
This whole thing was not pleasing to God. Because of the emotional rebellion of the priesthood bowing to politics for personal gain God would usher a return to bondage for the whole system.
The cross is our one altar and it was outside the religious system. Romans crucified Christ under pressure from the Hebrew religious system of the day who was forbidden to execute criminals. But, On a deeper level God was sending His Son to die for sin. Jesus became sin. All of the sins of the world past, present and future were placed on Him and in one very unceremonious act sins were paid for.
"But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." - Hebrews 10:12-14 ESV
Do we have many altars or just one?
Our many altars just become places where sin is multiplied. People deal with guilt in many complex ways giving and doing all kinds of things as a way to feel better about themselves but God only has one altar. It is a rough hewn wooden cross that stood unceremoniously outside of Jerusalem's walls where a Savior gave His life.
Tear down your altars if you have them. They are worthless places that just usher a return to previous bondage.
It is finished and Christ is alive. We don't get our sustenance from the meat coming off the altar we commune with the blood and body of our once and for all sacrifice. It is free from all political or economic attachments. We live guilt free among a people that live guilt free. Ten thousand subtle rules and guidelines could never produce that in our lives. One Savior on one cross setting us free is what made that happen.
--
Monday, October 6, 2014
Born For Adversity
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." - Proverbs 17:17 ESV
What a great verse.
The second statement is an amplification of the first.
We choose to be friend but your brother is someone who is linked to you by blood. You share the same heritage because you have the same parent or parents. I don't like when a stranger calls me brother. It is popular in Christian circles to do that but that implies a commitment that I'm sure in most cases people are not prepared to live in.
Jesus loves at all times. He never joins in an attack against us. The Holy Spirit is an advocate for us.
It is in adversity that you find out who your brothers are.
Few things get me more riled up than someone attacking another person, either physically or verbally, in front of me. The big brother in me is born for that battle.
Christ, the harmless lamb, was born for battle. He took our bullet. When Peter cut a man's ear off in Christ's defense Jesus healed the man. He defended us by being our victim. He loved Peter and He loved His enemy.
That is so convicting isn't it?
Fill us with Your Spirit today God. Fill us and give us a love that loves at all times.
--
What a great verse.
The second statement is an amplification of the first.
We choose to be friend but your brother is someone who is linked to you by blood. You share the same heritage because you have the same parent or parents. I don't like when a stranger calls me brother. It is popular in Christian circles to do that but that implies a commitment that I'm sure in most cases people are not prepared to live in.
Jesus loves at all times. He never joins in an attack against us. The Holy Spirit is an advocate for us.
It is in adversity that you find out who your brothers are.
Few things get me more riled up than someone attacking another person, either physically or verbally, in front of me. The big brother in me is born for that battle.
Christ, the harmless lamb, was born for battle. He took our bullet. When Peter cut a man's ear off in Christ's defense Jesus healed the man. He defended us by being our victim. He loved Peter and He loved His enemy.
That is so convicting isn't it?
Fill us with Your Spirit today God. Fill us and give us a love that loves at all times.
--
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
They Could Not Take It Away
"After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand.
So his brothers said to him, 'Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.'
For not even his brothers believed in him.
Jesus said to them, 'My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.'
After saying this, he remained in Galilee." - John 7:1-9 ESV
"And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away." - Luke 4:29-30 ESV
Jesus had brushes with death but He laid down His life at the right place and time and not before. He functioned in redemptive purpose and not sentimentality.
"And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." - 1 Corinthians 13:2-8a ESV
We are not loving a person by being their victim. Being willing to be witness of God's sacrifice is a different thing altogether.
"Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you." - Luke 10:3-6 ESV
God makes us lambs for His purpose and grace has transformed us and convinces us situation by situation what to do and how to love.
"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:8 ESV
As this next season of life comes our way we want the Spirit to guide us what to do and where to go... not walking carnally or in some form of sentimentality... God has a redemptive purpose for our lives today... a revealed will that we can rejoice in. It is a plan bathed in grace as our Shepard leads us. Don't heed the voice of a hireling that forces action. Listen to the Shepherd who loves us into living a life as we give our lives away in redemptive purpose.
--
So his brothers said to him, 'Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.'
For not even his brothers believed in him.
Jesus said to them, 'My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.'
After saying this, he remained in Galilee." - John 7:1-9 ESV
"And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away." - Luke 4:29-30 ESV
Jesus had brushes with death but He laid down His life at the right place and time and not before. He functioned in redemptive purpose and not sentimentality.
"And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." - 1 Corinthians 13:2-8a ESV
We are not loving a person by being their victim. Being willing to be witness of God's sacrifice is a different thing altogether.
"Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you." - Luke 10:3-6 ESV
God makes us lambs for His purpose and grace has transformed us and convinces us situation by situation what to do and how to love.
"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:8 ESV
As this next season of life comes our way we want the Spirit to guide us what to do and where to go... not walking carnally or in some form of sentimentality... God has a redemptive purpose for our lives today... a revealed will that we can rejoice in. It is a plan bathed in grace as our Shepard leads us. Don't heed the voice of a hireling that forces action. Listen to the Shepherd who loves us into living a life as we give our lives away in redemptive purpose.
--
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
It Is Finished - Part 3
The payment for sin is complete. God shed the blood 'of His own' to accomplish it. One offering was made and it is paid in full. No other offering will be made. No offering can be made.
"...the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood." Acts 20:28c ESV
"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him" Hebrews 7:25a ESV
I love that little phrase 'to save to the uttermost' in the Greek the phrase is Eis (Strong's G1519) Ho (G3588) Panteles (G3838). 'Bring them to complete perfection' would be a good alternative translation.
When Jesus said 'It is Finished' in John 19:30 he used the word Tetelestai (G5055) which comes from the same root word uttermost comes from that is Telos (G5056). Telos is the end of something. The termination point. The last payment on your car is the Telos payment. The last stoke of a paint brush on a canvas brings it to completion. When something can't go any farther because there is no farther to go it has been brought to it's termination point.
That is what Jesus did. He completed salvation. There is no farther to go. No more needs to be done. No more can ever be done. It is finished.
If are drawn near to God through Jesus our salvation is finished. No more needs to be done. No more can be done.
"For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.'... then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.' He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:1-6, 9-10 ESV
It is a big chunk of scripture... I know... each line has such great meaning.
God took away many sacrifices and replaced them with one sacrifice. He took Israel's many sacrifices and He takes away our many sacrifices. The things we do to assuage our conscience are taken away and replaced by one man giving Himself for us. Jesus made peace with God quickly. God saw the meaning of that sacrifice and the veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. God opened the access into Holiness almost instantly.
It takes us puny shortsighted beings longer to understand. We are blinded in our traditions and routines. Our self justification is over! Oh, that is good news. Dance, sing and laugh... cry with joy as I am now... It is finished!
"And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:21-22 ESV
I like how it says almost everything. Not everything required blood but the sin issue did require it.
"Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Hebrews 9:25-26 ESV
Not only is this only done once but once done it puts the issue to bed once and for all. Sin is put away. It was put away 2,000 years ago. It was planned before the world began but it was enacted on the cross. The ruling came into full enforcement when Christ's blood was shed in time.
Jesus said this on the cross. We may need to say it again and again. We can take a deep breadth and then exhale saying 'It is finished.' We say it to ourselves... We say it to God as worship and praise. As we say it the tension leaves our brow... stress melts... things fall into perspective... not everything requires blood but the things that do are taken care of... we are free to live now.
We say it to the hopeless person... the condemned person... It is the best news possible for everyone to hear. They may not get it at first. We still don't understand the full ramifications of it. I think it will take all of eternity to grasp it.
"...the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood." Acts 20:28c ESV
"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him" Hebrews 7:25a ESV
I love that little phrase 'to save to the uttermost' in the Greek the phrase is Eis (Strong's G1519) Ho (G3588) Panteles (G3838). 'Bring them to complete perfection' would be a good alternative translation.
When Jesus said 'It is Finished' in John 19:30 he used the word Tetelestai (G5055) which comes from the same root word uttermost comes from that is Telos (G5056). Telos is the end of something. The termination point. The last payment on your car is the Telos payment. The last stoke of a paint brush on a canvas brings it to completion. When something can't go any farther because there is no farther to go it has been brought to it's termination point.
That is what Jesus did. He completed salvation. There is no farther to go. No more needs to be done. No more can ever be done. It is finished.
If are drawn near to God through Jesus our salvation is finished. No more needs to be done. No more can be done.
"For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.'... then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.' He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:1-6, 9-10 ESV
It is a big chunk of scripture... I know... each line has such great meaning.
God took away many sacrifices and replaced them with one sacrifice. He took Israel's many sacrifices and He takes away our many sacrifices. The things we do to assuage our conscience are taken away and replaced by one man giving Himself for us. Jesus made peace with God quickly. God saw the meaning of that sacrifice and the veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. God opened the access into Holiness almost instantly.
It takes us puny shortsighted beings longer to understand. We are blinded in our traditions and routines. Our self justification is over! Oh, that is good news. Dance, sing and laugh... cry with joy as I am now... It is finished!
"And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:21-22 ESV
I like how it says almost everything. Not everything required blood but the sin issue did require it.
"Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Hebrews 9:25-26 ESV
Not only is this only done once but once done it puts the issue to bed once and for all. Sin is put away. It was put away 2,000 years ago. It was planned before the world began but it was enacted on the cross. The ruling came into full enforcement when Christ's blood was shed in time.
Jesus said this on the cross. We may need to say it again and again. We can take a deep breadth and then exhale saying 'It is finished.' We say it to ourselves... We say it to God as worship and praise. As we say it the tension leaves our brow... stress melts... things fall into perspective... not everything requires blood but the things that do are taken care of... we are free to live now.
We say it to the hopeless person... the condemned person... It is the best news possible for everyone to hear. They may not get it at first. We still don't understand the full ramifications of it. I think it will take all of eternity to grasp it.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Just a little off the Top
For the Hebrews there was a specific sacrifice that covered every failure in life. Going to the temple must have been much like going to the barber shop. "Hey George nice to see you. Yeah, I little more off the top this time. Thanks." In you go and out you go... problem solved... you feel better after your haircut (sacrifice) on several levels but the hair just keeps on growing.
The sacrifices involved people you knew because you saw them again and again.
Now instead of doing sacrifices to look right and feel right we go to the one who was the sacrifice and He says, "You look good already. I'll just give those feet of yours a rinsing." We go to Him and confess our sin and He reaffirms that we look fine to Him once and for all and are refreshed. It still involves a personal touch. But there is a reverence and lack of familiarity when we see that the one washing our feet has nail pierced hands. Wounds that should have been on our hands but are not because of God's kindness.
The sacrifices involved people you knew because you saw them again and again.
Now instead of doing sacrifices to look right and feel right we go to the one who was the sacrifice and He says, "You look good already. I'll just give those feet of yours a rinsing." We go to Him and confess our sin and He reaffirms that we look fine to Him once and for all and are refreshed. It still involves a personal touch. But there is a reverence and lack of familiarity when we see that the one washing our feet has nail pierced hands. Wounds that should have been on our hands but are not because of God's kindness.
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