Heart’s Attitude

God has no grandchildren!
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Heart’s Attitude

"The LORD said to Moses,
'Speak to the entire assembly of Israel’ and say to them:
'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.'"
Leviticus 19:1 (my emphasis bold)

Many people often think of Christian morality
as a kind of bargain in which God agrees
that if we will just keep a long list of rules,
then God will reward our abstentions.
The reverse then would naturally be true;
if we partake of these prohibitions
then we would receive God's displeasure, (wrath or cursing).

This obviously is a rather limited point-of-view,
although it does have its applications.
I believe we might better think in terms of this being
an ongoing set of choices that each of us makes –
that become the "who we are" in relation to God.
Every time you and I make a choice
we change the position of our hearts,
to a position that is just a little bit different
from what it was prior to making that choice.
On a daily basis this might not seem to be a huge change.
Taking your life as a whole, however,
with all the innumerable choices that we make
all our lives long we are slowly turning
toward this central hearts attitude,
either into a heavenly perspective
or a deceived evil one.
We slowly, but certainly, become
either a friend or enemy of God based,
at least in part, upon these seemingly small decisions.

There are no small decisions
when it comes to building Godly character.
Every choice plays its part
in that which we are to become,
and how we will be related to, or estranged from God.

To have rightly developed one heart's attitude
is to experience a slice of heaven on Earth;
to walk in peace, joy, righteousness,
and have the assurance of the Lord's knowledge
and approval in all we face.
The other, means despair, unbelief, impotence
and eternal separation
from the benefits of intimacy with the Beloved.

Some spend most of their lives
trying to work their way into a place of God’s acceptance.
The key is to know that we have been accepted
in Christ Jesus
and to live a life of righteousness, peace and joy
from that place of acceptance.


“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you,
then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the river,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.
But as for me and my household,
we will serve the LORD ."
Joshua 24:15 (my emphasis bold)

Choose God's inheritance for you this day...
Commit yourself to the Lord and He will direct your path!
In Jesus, the Anointed One...

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A Country Called Heaven

"In heaven the unveiled glories of the Deity shall beat full upon us,
and we for ever sun ourselves in the smiles of God."
Ezekiel Hopkins


A Country Called Heaven

“I want to tell you of a strange and wonderful country,
a country where there are no tears or heartaches,
a country where there is no sickness, pain or death.
The people who live in this country never get tired.
They carry no burdens and they never grow old.
No one ever says good-bye, for separations are unknown,
and there are no disappointments.

In the country of which I am speaking, there is no sin,
for no one ever does wrong.
There are no accidents of any kind.
You will travel for thousands of miles
and never see a cemetery or meet a funeral.
There are no undertakers and no morgues.
You will never see a crepe on the doors, for no one ever dies.
There are no gravediggers and coffins are unknown.
The clothes that are worn are bright and glistening
and no one dresses in mourning.

It is a country where nothing ever spoils.
The flowers never lose their fragrance
and the leaves are always green.
There are no thunderstorms,
no erupting volcanoes, and no earthquakes.
Upon those fair shores hurricanes and tidal waves never beat.
There are no germs or fevers, no pestilence of any kind.
The sun never shines and yet there is always light
for there is no night there.
It is never too hot and never too cold.
The temperature is exactly right.
No clouds ever darken the sky and harsh winds never blow.

There are no drunkards in this country
for no one ever drinks.
None are immoral; men as well as women are pure.
There are no illegitimate babies.
Prisons, jails and reformatories never darken the landscape.
Doors have no locks and windows no bars,
for thieves and robbers never enter here.
No lustful books are read,
and as for unclean pictures, they are never seen.
No taxes are paid and rents are unknown.
It is a country free from war and bloodshed.

Yes, and let me tell you something else.
There are no cripples to be seen anywhere;
none are deformed or lame.
Nor is anyone blind, deaf or dumb; hence,
homes for incurables have never been built
for all are healthy, all are well and strong.
No beggars are seen on the streets
for none are destitute and all have enough.
Leprosy and cancer, palsy and tuberculosis
are words that this country has never heard.
No asylums are there, for none are feeble minded.
Doctors are never needed and hospitals are unknown.

You ask me how I know all this? Have I been there?
No, I have not yet had the privilege
of visiting this wonderful country, but others have.
And, One, at least, who has lived there
for a long, long time, has come, and told me a great deal about it.
He says it is called heaven, and this is His description of it:
‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them and be their God.
And God shall wipe away tears from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.’
(Revelation 21:3-4)

Do you want to go there? Then get ready now.
It isn’t difficult. All you have to do is open your heart to Jesus Christ,
the Lord of the country, and ask Him to come in.
Then, when the journey of life is ended,
you too will go to this wonderful country
and dwell there for ever more.
Will you do it? Do it – NOW!”
Written by Oswald J. Smith
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Part 2 The Offerings in the Tabernacle: The Grain (Meal) Offering

"If we think of the Holy Spirit only as an impersonal power or influence,
then our thought will constantly be, how can I get hold of and use the Holy Spirit;
but if we think of Him in the biblical way as a divine Person,
infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely tender, then our thought will constantly be,
"How can the Holy Spirit get hold of and use me?"
(Reuben Archer) R. A. Torrey

Part 2 The Offerings in the Tabernacle: The Grain (Meal) Offering

There were five principal offerings in the tabernacle
and these were given to Moses from the erected tabernacle
at the foot of mount Sinai.
The Lord had filled the tabernacle
with his presence (Exodus 40:34-38).

The cloud settled upon and covered the outside of the tabernacle,
while on the inside it was filled with the glory of the Lord.

It was from here the Lord gave to Moses the 5 principle offerings
that were to be given.
This is recorded in Leviticus chapters 1 - 7,
they are listed in some detail in chapters 1 - 5 as follows : -

chapter 1 the Burnt offering
chapter 2 the Grain or meal offering
chapter 3 the Peace or Fellowship offering

chapter 4 the Sin offering
chapter 5 the Trespass or Guilt offering

The five offerings fall into two classifications;
the first three being offerings
given when in communion with God.
They are offerings of worship
and could be called sweet-savor offerings.

They were a sweet and pleasant fragrance to God
that gave him pleasure,
they speak of :
fellowship,
worship,
surrender,
acceptance,
and satisfaction.

Sweet-savor offerings were burnt within the camp
and were given freely, a freewill offering given to God.

The second two were given
for communion with God
and were a sacrifice for sin.

These were not the sweet smelling savor
because they spoke of sin and were obnoxious to God.

They were not burnt upon the altar of God
but outside the camp.

The believer came before God as a sinner,
confessing his sin and seeking forgiveness.

He was commanded by God to bring them to obtain pardon,
the sense of sin and guilt being prominent.

In addition to the detailed explanation given in chapters 1 - 5,
God then in chapters 6 & 7 changes the order,
to the order he requires them to be performed in.

The peace or fellowship offering
is taken from third place and positioned last.

It may be that God is saying to us that
the peace offering does not cause us to make
the sin or trespass sacrifices that gain communion with God
but rather comes from the consequence of communion with God.

We will continue to deal with them
in the order they were to be observed.

The Grain (Meal) Offering –
Leviticus 2: 1-16
Note: the entirety of this Scripture
is included at the end of this study outline,
should you desire to read it first.


The grain or meal offering
is sometimes referred to as the meat offering
this comes from the King James Version of the Bible
and is some what a misnomer as no meat is offered,

The reason for using the word meat
was that in the days of king James,
a person would not be asked out for a meal,
he would be asked to meat.
Luther renderd the term as food offering.

In fact this is the only offering of the five
in which the flesh of an animal is not offered.

It was a sweet savor offering,
like the burnt and the peace offerings,
it was something pleasant and sweet to God
with no thought of sin-bearing or cleansing of sin
in the offering.

It was a freewill offering
given voluntarily not under compulsion,
Leviticus 2: 4 and 14 say:
“'if' you bring.”

The grain (meal) offerings were either public or private
and were either brought with a burnt or peace offerings
or by themselves,

but never with a sin or trespass offering.

The three public meal offerings were
the twelve loaves of shewbread,
the Omer, or sheaf of wheat, on the second day of the Passover, and the two wave loaves at Pentecost.

The four private meal offerings prescribed by law were,
the meal offering of the high priest,
at the consecration of priests,
in substitution for a sin offering in cases of poverty,
and that of jealousy.

There were four types of offerings,
again associated with circumstances or property of the believer.
The uncooked flour - verse 1
Bread baked in an oven - verse 4
Bread prepared on a griddle - verse 5
Bread cooked in a pan - verse 7

There are two things
or meanings expressed by the grain offering.
The first draws on the similarity to tithing
(first fruit and shewbread),
appears to be expressed
in the words of David from 1 Chronicles 29:10-14 ,
"for everything in heaven and earth is yours....
Everything comes from you, and we have given you only
what comes from your hand".

It recognises the sovereignty and majesty of God
and that in his bounty he bestows all earthly blessings,
by dedicating to him the best of these gifts.

The second meaning ascribed to these offerings
the symbol of the spiritual food
for which Israel strove after as the fruit of its spiritual labor,
or those good works in which
true sanctification must necessarily embody itself.

There was a symbolism in the ingredients
used for the grain (meal) that emphasizes
the first of the two meanings.

Let us look at these ingredients in detail

FLOUR
Flour was the basis of the offering
it represented the bread of life
as bread was the main support to life.

The sacrifices burnt on the altar are called the bread of God,
Jesus described himself as the Bread of life.

The flour was to be of the finest quality, 'fine flour'
fully ground and finely sifted,
free from any coarseness, unevenness, and empty husks.
The mill stones must grind the wheat to an absolute fineness.

Christ's life was one
of passing through the grinding millstone
of suffering, trial, and temptation.

In Christ's perfect life
there was no trace of unevenness or coarseness,
in public or private he was the same the perfect character,
fine flour - finely sifted, fine gold - refined pure metal.

OIL
The oil was poured upon the flour,
it is spoken of as being 'anointed' with oil in Lev. 7:12.

Oil is of course a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
If the fine flour is seen as
Christ's perfect life anointed with the Oil of the Holy Spirit,
we easily see the sense of
the Messiah being the anointed one visible in the offering.

The anointing is also for the believer,
yet it is necessary
for the preparation of the millstones grinding.

There was oil on and oil in the cakes (verse 5,6).


The 'anointing' was to do with
the outward working of the Holy Spirit.

While the 'mingling' speaks of
the inward working of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling.

Just as every part of Christ's life,
every thought,
every word,
every deed, was mingled (saturated)
with the Holy Spirit,
so should ours.

FRANKINCENSE
There must be frankincense on the offering,
probably burning in a censer,
placed on top of cakes emitting fragrant smoke.

The twelve shewbread cakes (Lev.24:5-7)
arranged in two piles had frankincense on top of each pile
in such a way.

Christ's perfect life
was a sweet smelling savor to God (Ephesians 5:2)

and we are to be a sweet savor to God (2 Cor.2:15).

There are three things to be remembered about frankincense
1 ) Frankincense was exclusively for God ( verse 2 'all')
2 ) Frankincense gave a sweet fragrance that is pleasing to God
3 ) It was fire that drew forth the fragrance

The thought is that while going through the fiery trials of life,

we submit ourselves to God
and conduct ourselves in a way
that is pleasing to God that
He receives as a sweet smelling savor.
1Peter 2:19-21,23
1 Peter 4:12-19

SALT
Another necessary ingredient was salt,
salt must be added to every sacrifice.

Salt has a purifying influence,

Christ's influence purified the lives of those he contacted,

believers are called to be the salt of the earth.

Salt is the emblem of incorruption
and Christ's body saw no corruption (Psalm 16:10).

Salt is also the emblem of Divine grace
and Christ's words are always health-giving and wholesome.

Finally it is called 'the salt of the covenant' in verse 13.

The believer was in a covenant relationship with God
and salt was seen as the seal of friendship.

God has made an everlasting covenant of friendship with us.

Servants kissed the master’s feet

Friends kissed the cheeks

The kiss on the lips reserved for marriage

Kiss the Son

Jesus calls us from servant-hood to friendship
and from friendship to intimacy.

Wine was not mentioned here,
but was the basis of the drink offering
and was symbolic of vigor and refreshment (Psalm 104:15).

There were
also two substances that were particularly excluded from use
in the offering.

Leaven was forbidden (verse 11)
Where as salt was an emblem of incorruption,
a preservative against corruption,

leaven is the emblem of corruption.

To mix the holy things of God with leaven (evil)
is an abomination to the Lord.

(Hophi and Phinehas, 1 Sam.2:12)

The leaven of hypocrisy - Luke 12:1
The leaven of pride - 1 Cor. 5:6
The leaven of sin - 1 Cor. 5:7,8
The leaven of false teaching - Gal.5:9
The leaven of self-indulgence - Mark 8:15 (worldliness)

Honey was also forbidden (verse 11).

Honey represents things that are sweet and pleasing
and attractive to the flesh to the natural man.

In fact it often represents that which is natural,
in the spiritual sense it is that which is self-pleasing.

When honey is burnt it begins to ferment and turns sour,
the smell of burning honey is very different
to the fragrance of burning incense.

In presenting the offering the believer
simply came to the door of the tabernacle
having prepared it as instructed
and gave it to the priests.

There was no ceremony just simple submission,

Our highest priority must always be
to be in the presence
and to be moved by the presence of God

Moses: "We will not go, if you don’t go with us!”

Jesus only did “what He saw the Father doing.”

There is a difference between “having devotions”
(‘fulfilling our “daily required” Bible reading – time with God’
TRADITION, LABORING AND RITUAL)

and being devoted to God!

there was nothing meritorious in his action
only obedience.

The priest received the meal offering from him,
took a handful of the grain or cakes,
with all the frankincense and burned it on the altar.

The remainder belonged to the priests.
It was eaten by Aaron and his sons in the court of the tabernacle.

Only a small portion of this offering belonged to God,
but it was a memorial,
which means that the handful represented
the whole in the sight of God
and was accepted by Him as the whole.

We give our gifts and our service to God
yet we know that man is the recipient.

Our tithe goes into the offering
yet it pays the ministers salary or for the building, etc.
after a while it is easy to think
that God receives nothing from our giving
but that which is given is the recognition
that all came from God and is the memorial
of the whole all we possess.

Not only money
but also service can be self-centered.

We can be so busy with church activities
that a comparatively small portion
of our time and productivity is exclusively Gods.

Yet if that handful of our time
is spent in worship of Him,
spent in adoration
He take that part as a memorial of our life.

This meal offering symbolizes
the consecration of gifts and service.

We cannot give our gifts or our service
if we have not first given ourselves,
many people try to do this in the reverse order
by giving things or time.

These good works
the Bible talks of as being worthless
in the purchasing of a relationship with God,
how can you buy love ?

(Song of Songs 8:7).

The very first gifts offered to Jesus
was by the wise men
yet we read in Matthew 2:11
that they fell down and worshipped
before presenting their gifts.

They gave themselves
so that their gifts may be acceptable to Jesus.

Leviticus 2: 1-16

1 WHEN ANYONE offers a cereal offering to the Lord, it shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil over it and lay frankincense on it.
2 And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. Out of it he shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this on the altar as the memorial portion of it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet and satisfying fragrance to the Lord.
3 What is left of the cereal offering shall be Aaron's and his sons'; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire.
4 When you bring as an offering cereal baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.
5 If your offering is cereal baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.
6 You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a cereal offering.
7 And if your offering is cereal cooked in the frying pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8 And you shall bring the cereal offering that is made of these things to the Lord; it shall be presented to the priest, and he shall bring it to the [bronze] altar.
9 The priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn it on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet and satisfying fragrance to the Lord.
10 What is left of the cereal offering shall be Aaron's and his sons'; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire.
11 No cereal offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven or honey in any offering made by fire to the Lord.
12 As an offering of firstfruits you may offer leaven and honey to the Lord, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet odor [to the Lord, for their aid to fermentation is symbolic of corruption in the human heart].
13 Every cereal offering you shall season with salt [symbol of preservation]; neither shall you allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your cereal offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
14 If you offer a cereal offering of your firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for it of your firstfruits grain in the ear parched with fire, bruised and crushed grain out of the fresh and fruitful ear.
15 And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a cereal offering.
16 The priest shall burn as its memorial portion part of the bruised and crushed grain of it and part of the oil of it, with all its frankincense; it is an offering made by fire to the Lord.

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Part 1 The Offerings in the Tabernacle - The Burnt Offering

Spare the rod and spoil the child - that is true.
But, beside the rod, keep an apple to give him when he has done well.
Martin Luther






Part 1 The Offerings in the Tabernacle: The Burnt Offering

There were five principal offerings in the tabernacle
and these were given to Moses from the erected tabernacle
at the foot of mount Sinai.
The Lord had filled the tabernacle
with his presence (Exodus 40:34-38).

The cloud settled upon and covered the outside of the tabernacle,
while on the inside it was filled with the glory of the Lord.

It was from here the Lord gave to Moses the 5 principle offerings
that were to be given.
This is recorded in Leviticus chapters 1 - 7,
they are listed in some detail in chapters 1 - 5 as follows : -

chapter 1 the Burnt offering
chapter 2 the Grain or meal offering
chapter 3 the Peace or Fellowship offering

chapter 4 the Sin offering
chapter 5 the Trespass or Guilt offering

The five offerings fall into two classifications;
the first three being offerings
given when in communion with God.
They are offerings of worship
and could be called sweet-savor offerings.

They were a sweet and pleasant fragrance to God
that gave him pleasure,
they speak of :
fellowship,
worship,
surrender,
acceptance,
and satisfaction.

Sweet-savor offerings were burnt within the camp
and were given freely, a freewill offering given to God.

The second two were given
for communion with God
and were a sacrifice for sin.

These were not the sweet smelling savor
because they spoke of sin and were obnoxious to God.

They were not burnt upon the altar of God
but outside the camp.

The believer came before God as a sinner,
confessing his sin and seeking forgiveness.

He was commanded by God to bring them to obtain pardon,
the sense of sin and guilt being prominent.

In addition to the detailed explanation given in chapters 1 - 5,
God then in chapters 6 & 7 changes the order,
to the order he requires them to be performed in.

The peace or fellowship offering
is taken from third place and positioned last.

It may be that God is saying to us that
the peace offering does not cause us to make
the sin or trespass sacrifices that gain communion with God
but rather comes from the consequence of communion with God.

We will deal with them in the order they were to be observed.

The Burnt Offering:
Leviticus 1:1-17
Note: the entirety of this Scripture
is included at the end of this study outline,
should you desire to read it first.

The name for the Burnt Offering in Hebrew was 'olleh',
meaning "ascending as smoke",
given because this sacrifice was to be wholly consumed
and to rise in smoke toward heaven.

There is also the poetic term 'kalil', meaning "complete" in Hebrew
(Deut 33:10, 1 Sam.7:9, Psa. 51:19)

or the Greek 'holokautoma' (Mark 12:33, Heb.10:6)
alluding to the fact that, with the exception of the skin or feathers,
it was "wholly and entirely consumed".

The offerings in other sacrifices
were only partially consumed upon the altar.

The description of the burnt offering is found in Leviticus 1:1-17
and we will look at the various verses
to understand the purpose of the offering.

verse 3 'from the herd', bullock
verse 10 'from the flock', sheep
verse 14 'of birds'. birds (doves & pigeons)

The offering was according to possession,
which it was thought denoted a man's standing in society
and before God.
If the social standing of the offerer was such that he owned a herd
then he should offer a bullock.
A lamb was not acceptable to God from him.

If, however, the offerer did not own a herd but did have a flock,
then his offering must be a sheep or a goat.

If neither a herd or a flock were owned,
then the offering should be a bird (turtledoves or pigeons).

The bird offering was made by Mary, the mother of Jesus,
at the time of her purification,
which indicates that Jesus was born of parents
who were poor and of low social standing.

These verses also show that the offering from the herd and the flock
had to be male and without defect,
reflecting Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.

But, the offering of birds in verse 14 placed no such gender condition
thereby allowing the poor to bring their offering.

The lesson here is that God expects each man to give to Him
according to his means,
in acknowledgement that it is God who has prospered him.

{The widow’s offering Mark 12:41-44}

“And He sat down opposite the treasury
and saw how the crowd was casting money into the treasury.
Many rich [people] were throwing in large sums.
And a widow who was poverty-stricken came and put in two copper mites [the smallest of coins], which together make half of a cent.
And He called His disciples [to Him] and said to them,
Truly and surely I tell you, this widow, [she who is] poverty-stricken,
has put in more than all those contributing to the treasury.
For they all threw in out of their abundance;
but she, out of her deep poverty, has put in everything that she had—
[even] all she had on which to live.”
Mark 12:41-44 Amplified Bible

God will not accept inferior offerings.
Genesis 4:4 -5 says that

"Abel brought fat portions
from some of the firstborn of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

but on Cain and his offering
he did not look with favor."

Yet God does not expect from His people
gifts, service, or anything
that they do not possess.

Credit card offerings?
When people give beyond their means…
It might be faith like the widows two copper mites.
It might be pride – people wanting to be seen of men.
God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart

Our responsibilities are measured
according to our blessing in God,
not more than we have,
not less than we have,
but always the best of what we have, without defect.

Men today often give God
the things he does not want,
or what he no longer needs.
The worn out or unfashionable clothes
The unwanted furniture
Old children’s toys… etc.
.
Many set out to make our fortune,
or gain that which the world offers,
and only then give the remaining years to the Lords service.

No one is suggesting that God won't or can't use those years,
But God asks for the firstfruits not the leftovers.

God desires that which is of costs to us,
not for that which is paltry (Malachi 1:7-8).

“By offering polluted food upon My altar.
And you ask, How have we polluted it and profaned You?
By thinking that the table of the Lord is contemptible
and may be despised.
When you [priests] offer blind [animals] for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil?
Present such a thing [a blind or lame or sick animal]
now to your governor
[in payment of your taxes, and see what will happen].
Will he be pleased with you?
Or will he receive you graciously?
says the Lord of hosts” Malachi 1:7-8 Amplified Bible

Leviticus 1:3 also tells us that the one who brought the offering
brought his sacrifice to the entrance to the court to present it,
as an individual - a special act of worship.

“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd,
he shall offer a male without blemish;
he shall offer it at the door of the Tent of Meeting,
that he may be accepted before the Lord.”
Leviticus 1:3 Amplified Bible

The burnt offering was given
for the whole of Israel
regularly every morning and evening (Exodus.29:38-42).

Each Sabbath, double
that of the daily offering (Num.28:9).

At the new moon,
the three great festivals,
three great Pentateuchal (Pen·ta·teu·chal)
[Of or relating to the first five books of the Old Testament] festivals
Feast of Passover (Pesach) and Unleavened Bread (Mazzot):
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost or Shavuot):
Feast of Booths (Tabernacles or Sukkoth):
the day of atonement
and the feast of trumpets.

Special Burnt offerings were made
for the consecration of priests (Exodus,29:15),
at the purification of women (Lev.12:6),
at the cleansing of lepers (Lev.14:19),
the removal of other ceremonial uncleanness (Lev.15:15),
and on the accidental breach of the Nazarite vow,
or the conclusion of the Nazarite vow (Num.6:11).

While the freewill burnt offering
was given on any solemn occasion e.g.
the dedication of the tabernacle (Num. chapter 7)
and of the temple (1 Kings 8:64).

Verse 4 tells us that the one who offered the sacrifice
laid his hands upon the sacrifice as
a means of identification with the animal.

Abraham and Isaaac

“And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad
or do anything to him;
for now I know that you fear and revere God,
since you have not held back from Me
or begrudged giving Me your son, your only son.
Then Abraham looked up and glanced around,
and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram
and offered it up for a burnt offering
and an ascending sacrifice instead of his son!”
Genesis 22:12-13 Amplified Bible
Note
he took the ram (laid hands on the ram)
and offered it as a sacrifice – a scapegoat.

The animals acceptance (without blemish)
meant the acceptability of the believer,
it was an act of worship,
the believer presented himself before Jehovah
as a worshipper, desirous of being accepted.

The words 'to make atonement for him'
mean literally
'to place a covering over him'
causing him to be acceptable.

Verse 5 says that the believer had to kill the sacrifice,
no one did it for him, he did it himself.

Our identification with the animal
and its death
is like a laying down our lives, (death to self will)
complete submission of our will to Gods
that we may worship him.


The priests would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice
against the sides or at the base of the altar.

The sprinkling of Blood
was like pouring out of life
The Word states that the life is in the blood.

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood;
and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
Hebrews 9:22

Leviticus 1:6, has the believer skinning and cutting it into pieces.
The skin being the only part of the animal that wasn't burnt,
the skin being a memorial of the death of the sacrifice.

The skin provided him with a covering,
a robe of righteousness,

reminding us that God had to kill an animal
to clothe Adam and Eve
with it's skin covering their sin.

The skin was kept by the priests as their portion,
the offer of atonement was not within the physical covering
but with the spiritual covering
and the sense that God had provided everything.

Jesus is our High Priest

We see Christ's sacrifice
as clothing us with righteousness
and that he takes away our sin
that we may enter God's presence to worship him.

In Leviticus 1:7-9 the Word depicts
the priests preparing the altar
and they placed on it the head and the fat.
The believer washes the inner parts and the legs with water
before the pieces were placed on the altar by the priests
so that it was all burnt.

The inspection meant there was no outward blemish
the washing showed there was no inward blemish.

Christ was scrutinized both outwardly and inwardly
by man and God respectively.
Man could find no fault in him
and God could see no fault in him.

The different parts described in these verses (7-9)
represent and indicate
the fullness or completeness of the sacrifice:
The Head - represents the mind and the intellect
The Inwards - represents the will and emotions
The Legs - indicate walk
which represent conduct and lifestyle
The Fat - represents health and virility (life).

It says the offering was by fire,
remember the animal was provided by God,
for it was given in proportion to His provision,

but the fire was also from God being originally kindled by Him.

It was an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

The symbolism of the ceremony sets forth
Christ offering himself without defect to God
in performing the divine will with Joy,
even to the point of death.

The offering is a sweet savor,
so called because they deal with
Christ in His own perfection
and in His perfect devotion to the Father's will.

They are in contrast to the non-sweet savor offerings
which typify Christ as carrying the sinner's transgressions.

The whole burnt offering is both
atoning
the acceptableness or merit of the offering
passed to the believer,
and he is accepted by God
because of Christ’s offering pure and free of all blemishes.

Atonement:
The word atonement carries with it the idea
of the just, holy, righteous side of God’s mature being satisfied.
God's law required death as the penalty for sin.
When God saw the death of the innocent sacrifice,
he was satisfied that the demands of his law had been carried out.
Sacrificing an animal on an altar did not take away the sin.
Man was still sinful.
The sacrifice only pictured what was necessary
for sin to be forgiven — death and shedding of blood.
The blood provided an atonement or covering for sin
The sacrifice pointed to the one and only sacrifice that could remove sin
The perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ.
and substitutionary,

Christ dies in the believers stead.

Leviticus 1:1-17 Amplified Bible:

1 The Lord called to Moses out of the Tent of Meeting, and said to him,
2Say to the Israelites, When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of [domestic] animals from the herd or from the flock.
3If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the door of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord.
4And he shall lay [both] his hands upon the head of the burnt offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the victim], and it shall be an acceptable atonement for him.
5The man shall kill the young bull before the Lord, and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall present the blood and dash [it] round about upon the altar that is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
6And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.
7And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay wood in order on the fire;
8And Aaron's sons the priests shall lay the pieces, the head and the fat, in order on the wood on the fire on the altar.
9But its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet and satisfying odor to the Lord.
10And if the man's offering is of the flock, from the sheep or the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without blemish.
11And he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall dash its blood round about against the altar.
12And [the man] shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire on the altar.
13But he shall wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet and satisfying fragrance to the Lord.
14And if the offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then [the man] shall bring turtledoves or young pigeons.
15And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

16And he shall take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes.
17And he shall split it open [holding it] by its wings, but shall not cut it in two. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet and satisfying odor to the Lord.

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Walking In His Victory

“Read whatever chapter of scripture you will,
and be ever so delighted with it –
yet it will leave you as poor,
as empty and unchanged as it found you
unless it has turned you wholly and solely to the Spirit of God,
and brought you into full union with and dependence upon him.”
William Law

Walking In His Victory

“For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood
[contending only with physical opponents],
but against the despotisms, against the powers,
against [the master spirits who are]
the world rulers of this present darkness,
against the spirit forces of wickedness
in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
Therefore put on God's complete armor,
that you may be able to resist and stand your ground
on the evil day [of danger],
and, having done all [the crisis demands],
to stand [firmly in your place].”
Ephesians 6:12-13Amplified Bible(my emphasis bold)

Have you been pleading lately before the throne of God

that He might deliver you from the oppressions of satan and this evil world?

Might I suggest that such prayers are in error?

Blasphemy you say?!

No, although God is certainly able to put down

any attempt that the enemy might throw at us,

it really isn’t God’s job to do so?…

Indeed, we are the ones who are called to enter

into the victory of Christ over the works of the enemy…

you see the devil has already been defeated! Teleos! (It is finished!)

The Word of God tells us clearly that our victory i

s in the Blood of Christ, the power of His testimony,

and our walking humbly in obedience –

preferring His will above our own –

laying down our lives for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom.

“And they have overcome (conquered) him
by means of the blood of the Lamb
and by the utterance of their testimony,
for they did not love and cling to life
even when faced with death
[holding their lives cheap till
they had to die for their witnessing].”

God never tempts his children. That would be contrary to His nature.

But He will allow the enemy to tempt us,

so that our victory in Christ over the enemy might be demonstrated.

This takes place every time we are tempted by the enemy

and we resist, by walking in obedience to what God has said.

When satan speaks lies and attempts to lure us into sin,

we should respond as Christ did in the fourth chapter of Luke.

Each time Christ was tempted…

(oh by the way, did you notice that it was the Holy Spirit

who lead Him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil?)

“Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit
For (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert),
where He was tempted (tried, tested exceedingly) by the devil.
Luke 4:1-2 Amplified Bible

So each time Jesus was tempted, He didn’t argue with satan,

He didn’t scream and yell at the tempter,

He simply countered the lies of the devil by quoting the Scripture.

Here is the key, don’t miss this point.

Jesus was so intimately in tuned to His Father’s voice,

so smothered in the love and compassion of the Father,

that he walked in total submission to Poppa’s will.

(The ‘Poppa’ part shows the influence of The Shack.

If you haven’t read it your missing something special… End of commercial)

James 4:7 is probably one of the most frequently misquoted Scriptures,

because people don’t quote the whole verse.

They say, “Resist the devil and he will flee.”

You can resist the devil all day long,

and if you are not submitted to the Lord,

he will laugh in your face!

“But [one] evil spirit retorted,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know about,
but who are you?”
Acts 19:15 Amplified Bible

Humility, submission and intimacy with the Lord

are a key parts of walking out the victory over sin

that Christ secured for us at Calvary.

“So be subject to God.
Resist the devil [stand firm against him],
and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 Amplified Bible

Yes, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,

but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds,

and casting down everything

that exalts itself against the Truth of God’s Word.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not physical
[weapons of flesh and blood],
but they are mighty before God
for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
[Inasmuch as we] refute
arguments and theories and reasonings
and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up
against the [true] knowledge of God;
and we lead every thought and purpose away captive
into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5Amplified Bible

We take this victory everywhere we go,

as we walk in faith in the face of fear or the lies of the enemy.

The kingdom of light advances over the kingdom of darkness

each time we stand in Christ’s victory!

Let’s push back the darkness in school, in the workplace, at Wal-mart,

the supermarket or when gets “in-our-face,” lies about us,

or ignores that we are even in the room.

Everywhere you go, Christ goes with you,

the Holy Spirit overshadows and leads you,

and angels guard your steps!

It’s time we started entering into our inheritance in Christ

and acting like the children of the Most High God!

Let’s start today by submitting ourselves anew to the Lord

and asking the Spirit of the Living God

to guide us through every trial and temptation we face,

that we may walk obediently in His victory

and bring our Father the glory and honor He is due!

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The First Line

The First Line:


“In the secret of God's tabernacle no enemy can find us,
and no troubles can reach us.
The pride of man and the strife of tongues find no entrance
into the pavilion of God.
The secret of his presence is a more secure refuge
than a thousand Gibraltars.
I do not mean that no trials come.
They may come in abundance, but they cannot penetrate
into the sanctuary of the soul, and we may dwell in perfect peace
even in the midst of life fiercest storms.”
Hannah Whitall Smith


The First Line:

Many years ago engineers were considering
how to begin building a bridge between
Niagara Falls New York and Niagara Falls Canada.
The huge gorge and rapids between the two was a daunting obstacle.
The engineers tried shooting lines across the ravine time and again
only to find the technology of their day impotent.
They determined that such a crossing might well be impossible to accomplish,
because they could not find a safe way to get a line across the ravine.

Then on his way home one night, one of the engineers happened to see
a small boy in a field leisurely enjoying flying his kite over the great falls.
Instantly the solution presented itself.
Engineers went out and bought a fifty cent kite
and sailed the first line across the great gorge.
They used that fragile line to pass ever increasing sized lines back and forth
until they had the steel cables needed to begin the construction
of the first bridge to cross the gorge.

In the years before World War I,
England and France had been bitter adversaries.
But a voracious learner, an energetic Englishman named Henry Wilson,
became head of the British War College.
Ignoring the prejudice of his times, in 1909,
he attended a lecture by his counterpart, General Foch,
at the military college in France.
Despite the political schism between their two nations,
the two men quickly became fast friends.
When war came in 1914, Wilson headed military operations for England.
By then, his flourishing friendship with Foch had built trust.
And that opened doors for the two countries to sign a mutual protection pact.
Historian Barbara Tuchman called Wilson and Foch’s unlikely rapport
“the first cable for the building of a bridge."

“For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
Psalms 122:8

Who knows the power and potential of your friendships—
in the high calling of our daily work?

As believers we might well take these stories from history to heart.
Many who profess Christ have adopted an isolationist mentality,
choosing to remain separated from those who do not profess the Lord.

It is time for the Church to embrace the example of Jesus,
(who ate and conversed with publicans and sinners,)
and to interface with a lost and dying world
that they might see the love of Jesus
and come to a place of repentance, restoration and life.
Let’s throw the first line, and see what the Holy Spirit will do!

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A Critical Difference

"A man that does not know how to be angry
does not know how to be good.
Now and then a man should be shaken to the core with indignation over things evil."
Henry Ward Beecher








A Critical Difference

What is the difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the accusations of the enemy? The Apostle Paul made a clear distinction between the two.

“Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained,
but because you were pained into repentance
[and so turned back to God];
for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel,
so that in nothing you might suffer loss through us
or harm for what we did.
For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct,
produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation
and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret;
but worldly grief
(the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world)
is deadly [breeding and ending in death].”
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 Amplified Bible

For many years I saw this demonstrated repeatedly
by the students I taught.
There were some students,
who after making a mistake or misbehaving,
were genuinely sorry for their actions.
Their sorrow resulted in their learning what not to do,
so they wouldn’t repeat the offense again.
They were sorry for their actions,
and genuinely sorry for the offense it produced.
Other students, (unfortunately in the majority of cases),
when their misdeed was discovered they were also sorry.
They were sorry they got caught.
They had no intention of changing their behavior,
other than to be more calculating
about masking their efforts the next time
they engaged in that same behavior.

Both the worldly system and the conviction of the Holy Spirit
produce a feeling of sorrow.
Godly sorrow, always results in repentance
(the turning around – changing of behavior).

The sorrow ressulting from satan’s accusation or worldly thinking
always leads to death nad separation from God and man.


Godly sorrow brings repentance
that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV

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