Daily Manna

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Where are you in the process of sacrifice ? Decide yourself.

This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings; Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.
Leviticus 7:37–38
 
In this review of the five sacrifices, notice the portrayal of the life of Christ from His baptism to His crucifixion . . .

In the burnt offering, we see Christ’s baptism, for both speak of total dedication. In the meat offering, we see Jesus being tempted, for both show an absence of leaven, an absence of sin. In the peace offering, we see Jesus embarking on public ministry, for both proclaim the good tidings of the gospel. At the cross, we see the sin and trespass offerings, as Jesus died not only for our sin nature, but also for our specific acts of sin.

I find it interesting, however, that in the life of the believer, the sacrifices are illustrated in reverse order . . .

A person gets saved when he realizes he has trespassed. Then he discovers he sins because he’s a sinner, because he has a sin nature. He confesses his sin, asks the Lord into his life, and communes with God through the peace offering, at the Lord’s Table. Then he says, “Refine me, Lord. Take out the lumps and the leaven in my life.” And finally, he says, “Don’t only sift me, but consume me, Lord. I’m laying my life down as a burnt offering. I want to be consumed by You.”

Where are you in this process? The further you choose to go, the happier you’ll be. I can guarantee this because Jesus told us that it’s when we lose our lives that we will truly find them (Matthew 10:39).

By Pastor Jon Courson

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