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If you have stumbled here by accident let me first insist that there really are no accidents in life. If however, you came on your own free will then please by all means open your hearts and your minds to the "New Wine" that God has prepared for you!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Back to Basics

The strangest thing happened to me this week as I was praying and seeking God on the direction to go as we begin to trek into the book of Numbers. I tried to read the first few chapters but nothing clicked and I found myself staring blankly at my bible.  Flipping back through the pages into the book of Leviticus, I began looking to see if I had missed something.

Last week, I began my column with this little self fulfilling prophecy. “Many pastors and teachers skip this book altogether because it is filled with procedures and rituals.” Although this sentence is true of the first sixteen chapters, there is so much more God has to say about the Ten Commandments, morals and human decency. The last eleven chapters of Leviticus describe how to be holy or set apart for God’s use and shed light on why Jesus had to come and literally release us or free us from our bondage to sin.

News reporters exhibit great strength in the area of reporting just the facts and leaving out their opinions. This week I’m going to pull up my bootstraps, and do some reporting on what I’ve been studying:  just the facts as they were written in the book of Leviticus chapters 18 -22.  I’ll be reporting on what God instructed the Israelites on what not to do so that they would not fall back into idolatry through immorality.

Leviticus chapter 19: 1-2 states, “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.’” God sets the bar high and keeps the Levite’s really busy interceding for the fledgling nation of Israel with a multitude of burnt offerings.  In addition to the Ten Commandments of “Thou shall not…”, God expounds on the laws of sexual morality. Let’s take a closer look at chapter 18:20-23: “Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.”

So as with any good reporter worth his salt, I’m not going to add or subtract from the text that is recorded in your bibles other than to say that breaking any of the above laws earned the death penalty. Interestingly, God lumps adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality and bestiality in the same group of sins.  It’s sad really; hard to believe that any of these acts could take place in today’s world. But as we pick up our newspapers during any given week, we can’t escape reading about horrible acts of evil perpetrated on the innocent. Some acts are so heinous we gasp for words to describe the hollow, empty feeling that is left behind.

In the Sermon on the Mount contained in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Jesus taught the people that were there that day, sitting and listening on that hill, that it’s really a problem with our hearts. Then He went on to say that if anyone has broken the least of these commandments, then they have broken them all. The Law was designed by God to be our schoolmaster to drive us to the mercy seat of grace. It’s not the idea that any one sin is worse than another but that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Because our Heavenly Father is holy, righteous and exists as unapproachable light, we can’t come to Him in our fallen state. We are all sick and in need of a heart transplant where we ask Jesus to become our sacrifice, our ransom, our Lord and our God! None of us can live in a way that is pleasing to God until we first act upon faith and receive the free gift of salvation that God offers all of us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So what’s so funny about peace, love and understanding? Elvis Costello once asked all of us listening to our FM radios during the 1980’s. Meanwhile, some 1450 years before Christ was born, God chiseled into stone the Ten Commandments, put them into the ark and covered them with a mercy seat. Today, in all our glory we stand here trying to understand why some people are so determined on changing God’s laws. People will interpret, redefine and twist them into something more palatable, pleasing and politically correct while our society spirals back into idolatry, immorality and rebellion of our Creator. 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Worship

As we journey through the books of Moses in the Old Testament we come to the third book called Leviticus. Many pastors and teachers skip this book altogether because it is filled with procedures and rituals. Leviticus means “Pertaining to the Levites” and is basically a handbook of instructions for the tabernacle priests. Much of the writing makes for tedious reading and requires fortitude to trudge through it; however a careful study through Leviticus will reward the diligent bible student with many gems. A solid understanding of Leviticus when studied alongside the book of Hebrews provides the reader with the whole picture of God’s plan for our salvation. We will discover that we were bought with a price as God’s own Son willingly becomes our eternal sacrifice.
 
There was a time in history when all roads led to Rome. This colloquialism might have been true for that day as it pertained to highways, but it certainly is a falsehood when applied to man’s salvation. There is only one way to get to the Father God spiritually safe and that is through the sacrifice of His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. If we read the Old Testament from the pretense that God foretold or gave us information about the coming Messiah, then we will begin to see parallels that foreshadow the role of Jesus Christ as The Lamb of God. All sacrifices detailed in the book of Leviticus are snapshots of one final and complete sacrifice that would one day allow men to know God and worship Him.
The book of Leviticus teaches us that the way to God is through sacrifice. The burnt offering was a way to worship out of obedience by offering up a gift completely consumed by fire, which becomes a sweet aroma rising up to God. Listen to the apostle Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament book of Ephesians 5:1,2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” The “burnt offering” is the oldest recorded offering which was performed by Able, Noah and Abraham.
In a “guilt or blood sacrifice”, the blood was to be sprinkled on the mercy seat as a covering from the penalties of the law. The blood was temporary payment or ransom for the sins of the worshipper. Leviticus 17:11 sheds some additional light on the sacrifice, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” In the shedding of blood of a sacrificed animal, the power of life is released from the victim. God honors the ransom and gives life back to (redeem) the worshipper in the form of temporary forgiveness of the offenses.
If you just can’t get yourself to read the entire book of Leviticus, then at least try reading chapter sixteen. We will discover that Aaron’s two sons were killed by God because they approached Him in the wrong way, by offering “profane fire”. Now God instructs Aaron on the right way to come to Him and all the sacrifices needed to atone for the sins of the children of Israel. After ceremonial cleansing and sin offering for himself, he can offer the sacrifice for the children of Israel. The High priest was to take two goats from the herd and cast lots for them. The one the Lord’s lot fell on would become the sin offering, while the other goat would become the “scapegoat” and would be led out to the wilderness and be released.
The sin offering was killed and its blood sprinkled over the mercy seat for the sins of the people. This is a picture of God’s Son taking on the sins of the world at the cross and becoming our ransom or payment. The scapegoat was led out into the wilderness where it was freed from the death penalty the law required. This is a picture of the grace and mercy we receive when we choose to accept this free gift that God offers to all men.  Both the Old Testament and the New Testament were sealed with a blood sacrifice. The Old Testament was imperfect and designed to drive us to the mercy seat and sealed with the blood of animals. The New Testament was sealed with the blood of God’s own Son, a perfect and complete sacrifice once and for all!
That’s why Jesus said “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you.” on the night of the Lord’s Supper.  By willingly going to His death and shedding His blood, He paid in full our sin debt and redeemed all humanity. True worship to God is not just what is uttered from our lips, but rather what we do with the rest of our lives.  It’s the song of our lives that is pleasing to God as it rises up as a sweet aroma.

Monday, January 14, 2013

The Gold Calf


Oh, how quickly we tend to forget about prayers God answers for us during the course of our lives. I am willing to bet that many parents have prayed to God to rescue a prodigal son or daughter from the evil clutches of the world and are so grateful when they return safely home. Service men send up barrages of prayers during the heat of battle and breathe a sigh of relief as they miraculously pull through.  But what is it that makes us forget so quickly our answered prayers?  I know age has something to do with memory loss. I have trouble remembering small things like if I locked the front door to my house or turned off the burner on the stove. Even just remembering a simple password to a bank ATM card can get tricky. But in the case of the fledgling nation of Israel, how could they forget miracles like the Red Sea crossing, water from the rock or bread falling from heaven within the course of three months?  

As God prepares Moses to receive the law and the blueprints for the tabernacle, He speaks these words found in Exodus 19:4-6 “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle’s wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” What incredible promises God gives to the nation of Israel!  They would be the apple of His eye and set apart from all other nations of the world if they would just obey Him; the only problem is they failed miserably.   

 Moses, while in the presence of God, on top of Mount Sinai, receives two stone tablets. God etches on both sides of these two tablets of stone the Ten Commandments with His own finger. Immediately God reiterates the very first two commandments to Moses: “You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with me; gods of silver or gold you shall not make for yourselves.” Moses was on the mountain for a very long length of time and the people were getting restless down in the valley. If we had the fortune of watching this scene in a theater, the lights would now dim and the curtains close while Moses is on the mountain talking with God. After a brief intermission, the curtains would open again as Moses returns to camp where he had left his brother Aaron in charge. 

While a cloud covered the top of the mountain and it burned with smoke and fire, Aaron and the Israelites were busy turning to idol worship down in the valley. Caving in to the pressure of their request, Aaron asks the people to break off their gold earrings in order to cast a golden calf. The calf was a residual religious image brought with them from their 430 years of captivity in Egypt. Before Moses takes one step off the mountain, God already knows what the Israelites are doing back at the camp. He appears to burn with anger and threatens to wipe them all out as Moses intercedes for the people. This is the role of the high priest. Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, now stands between God and all humanity interceding on our behalf.  Moses did not really change God’s mind, but rather God was giving Moses the opportunity to intercede on behalf of the people.  

As the smoke clears Moses descends the mountain with two tablets of stone in his hands. Upon seeing people drunk, dancing and worshipping the molten image of a calf, he casts down the slabs of stone, breaking them into pieces. He confronts his brother Aaron and asks him to explain what he has done in his absence. In Exodus 32:24, Aaron responds to his brother “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”  

What a hilarious line and bit as Aaron fails to take responsibility for his actions. I half expected Moses to laugh at his response.  God has always used imperfect men to accomplish His purpose and we will watch as Aaron will one day become Israel’s first High Priest. The fact that God uses Aaron despite his great character flaw is a beautiful picture of God’s grace.  In our weakness He is made strong. Remembering what God has accomplished in our past, will strengthen us as we walk with Him to the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

High Priest


God commanded Moses to put into the ark of the testimony the two stone tablets that were engraved with “The Ten Commandments”.  The tablets of stone contained “The Law” or ten rules that God commanded the Israelites to keep or uphold. Unfortunately, nobody to this day is able to follow the Ten Commandments.   Part of God’s temporary plan for Israel was to ordain a high priest who could intercede or make atonement for all the people. Once a year, the high priest would enter the inner most part of the Tabernacle and sprinkle the blood from a sacrifice on top of the “Mercy Seat”.

In Genesis 3:21, we find the key that unlocks the mystery of the why the blood sacrifice was necessary. The atonement, or covering for Adam and Eve that was designed by God to cover their sin, was a blood sacrifice. In the process of making garments of skin, God killed and slaughtered animals to make the coverings. In the book of Hebrews 9:20-22, it explains to us that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. The gruesome death and slaughter of these animals by God to make tunics of skin produced a vivid picture that choosing to disobey God comes at a very high and precious price. Remember, all the animals in the garden were personally named by Adam. To cover or atone for Adam’s mistake required the life of his beloved companions.

Being descended from Adam, we have inherited his seed and original sin. Even without this curse all humans would continue to sin. It requires little effort to go astray and be disobedient to God.  So as the Ten Commandments lay in the ark under the cover of the mercy seat God instructs Moses on the need for a high priest to intercede on the people’s behalf. Moses’ brother Aaron becomes the first high priest for the nation of Israel and ordains his sons to become priests. The high priest would intercede on behalf of the people to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. Now to enter the tabernacle and especially the holy of holies, God made it very clear that only the high priest could go in before the Ark of the Covenant. Only the high priest could stand before the mercy seat and God’s presence, or Shecaniah Glory, and only one day out of a year.

The problem for the high priest in the tabernacle was that he could die extremely quick in the presence of a holy and righteous God if he did not follow all procedures and the rules for ritual cleansing. To add to the priest’s anxiety, God instructed that gold bells be sewn around the bottom hem of the priestly garments. So if the other priests stopped hearing the bells, they assumed the worst had happened. It probably only took a couple of priests losing their lives retrieving the high priest that they started tying a long cord around his ankle.  The problem is that all of us as sinful people can’t exist in the presence of a pure, holy and righteous God. We desperately need a high priest to redeem us through a blood sacrifice.

In the book of Hebrews 9:11 “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.” You see, God set up a model on earth of things in heaven. The ritual of the high priest performing the blood sacrifice was a yearly reminder of what the cost of disobeying God requires.  The next sentence in Hebrews 9:12, explains everything: “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, is so precious and powerful that it took away all sin past present and future for eternity. Yes, your sins have been forgiven and you can one day stand in the presence of God because of your High Priest, your King and your friend Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end and all who call upon the name of Jesus Christ shall be saved. Hebrews 9:27 says “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” I implore all of you reading this to be sure you have called upon the name of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. God loves you so very much He was willing to become flesh and blood and redeem us through the precious blood of His own son. Praise the name of Jesus!