El Gran Sacrificio / The Great Sacrifice
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
God has given us five senses to experience the world: sight, taste, smell, touch, hearing.
It is through these five senses that we are able to enjoy life.
It is through these five senses that we are able to make imprints upon our memories.
How many of us have tasted a specific food that transports us to our childhood?
How many of us have smelled a specific scent that immediately brings up treasured memories?
Our five senses are used by God to make certain impressions upon us.
The Bible talks about God’s word being as sweet as honey.
The Bible speaks about God’s voice being like the sound of many rushing water.
The Bible speaks about God’s presence being like a mighty/rushing wind.
The book of Leviticus is a marvelous book that appeals to our senses, especially chapter 9 were we read about the levitical priests starting their ministry of animal sacrifices.
This chapter describes the beginning of the sacrificial system in Israel.
Today we will consider:
Chapter 9 according to our five senses: sight, taste, smell, touch, hearing
God’s eternal purpose
I. Chapter 9 according to our 5 senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, hearing
I. Chapter 9 according to our 5 senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, hearing
I. El capítulo 9 según nuestros 5 sentidos: tacto, vista, olfato, gusto, oído
I. El capítulo 9 según nuestros 5 sentidos: tacto, vista, olfato, gusto, oído
Touch
The Bible describes how God had commanded the animal sacrificial system. It was through the animal sacrifices that the people would come before God seeking forgiveness.
Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.”
Lev 9:
Entonces Moisés dijo a Aarón: Acércate al altar y presenta tu ofrenda por el pecado y tu holocausto, para que hagas expiación por ti mismo y por el pueblo; luego presenta la ofrenda por el pueblo, para que puedas hacer expiación por ellos, tal como el Señor ha ordenado.
The people would bring the animal to be sacrificed before the presence of the Lord.
and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’ ”
y un buey y un carnero para las ofrendas de paz, para sacrificar delante del Señor, y una ofrenda de cereal mezclado con aceite; porque hoy se aparecerá el Señor a vosotros.”
In some cases it would be a small animal. In other cases it would be a much larger animal.
The people of God, including the priest, would have to put their hand upon the animal to be sacrificed. They would be able to feel the animal moving beneath their hand.
They would be able to feel the animal’s warmth, the animal’s breath.
The priest, after having the worshipper or himself place their hands upon the animal’s head, would then have to take a knife to kill the sacrificial animal.
This would require great strength for they were taking the life of a living being.
It is very likely that the animal would probably struggle.
Sight
What would the people see as they were approaching the Tabernacle?
The Bible tells us how after the animal was sacrificed its blood would be brought to the priest who would then sprinkle blood upon the altar.
So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself.
Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
Se acercó, pues, Aarón al altar y degolló el becerro de la ofrenda por el pecado que era por sí mismo.
Y los hijos de Aarón le presentaron la sangre; y él mojó su dedo en la sangre, puso parte de ella sobre los cuernos del altar, y derramó el resto de la sangre al pie del altar.
Lev 9:
Going to the Tabernacle was not a pleasant sight. Being there would be similar to being a slaughter house.
The ground would surely be stained red with the blood of the daily sacrifices.
The priest himself would be covered in the sacrificial animal’s blood.
The people were meant to be impacted by this strange sight.
Not only would the people see the blood but they would see the lifeless bodies of the sacrificial animals.
The same animal that a few minutes earlier was alive, would now be lying lifeless on the ground.
They were to be impacted by the sight of these lifeless animals who had given up their life on their behalf.
We are also told later on how the animal would be cut up into pieces with some pieces discarded and others burned upon the altar.
Then he slaughtered the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar.
They handed the burnt offering to him in pieces, with the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar.
He also washed the entrails and the legs, and offered them up in smoke with the burnt offering on the altar.
Lev 9:
Luego degolló el holocausto; y los hijos de Aarón le dieron la sangre y la roció sobre el altar, por todos los lados.
Y le dieron el holocausto en pedazos, con la cabeza, y los quemó sobre el altar.
Lavó también las entrañas y las patas, y las quemó con el holocausto sobre el altar.
This was a truly spectacular sight for what was previously a whole animal, a living being, was no longer recognizable.
Smell
Parts of the animal would be put upon the bronze altar and burned before the presence of the Lord.
The people would be able to smell the burning wood.
Later, as the pieces of animal flesh were put upon the altar they would be able to smell its flesh being consumed by the fire.
Taste
Smell has an interesting way of stimulating out sense of taste.
When we smell smoke, specially coming off a grill, we usually have a bitter taste in our mouths.
Even when we smell meat cooking upon a grill, our taste buds are stimulated.
Hearing
What would people hear as they approached the Tabernacle?
People would be able to hear the hundreds, and maybe thousands of animals, as they were approaching the place of worship.
They would be able to hear the animal as the priest would take its life and the animal would give its last and final breath.
II. God’s eternal purpose
II. God’s eternal purpose
II. El propósito eterno de Dios
II. El propósito eterno de Dios
Why did God command this? What was trying to communicate through the sacrificial system of the Old Testament?
God was trying to communicate how our must be dealt with. God cannot simply decide to forgive us.
God is holy, he is just and must punish sin.
The animal sacrifices were meant to demonstrate how an innocent victim had to die in the place of a guilty sinner.
God was trying to communicate how awful/how serious our sin is before the presence of God.
Why all the blood?
Why the taking of a life?
Why the burning of the animal’s flesh upon the altar?
Our sin! We have sinned before the presence of a Holy God. We have broken his law and justly deserve to be punished.
We have sinned before a great and holy God and our sin requires the payment of an extremely high penalty.
God was trying to communicate that animal sacrifices would never be sufficient to deal with our sin.
What happened the day after ? The priests would have to repeat the same animal sacrifices.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, century after century - animal sacrifices were brought before the Lord.
The people would continue to bring animal sacrifices but they could never truly satisfy God’s wrath against sinful humanity.
It is for this reason, that sacrifices had to be offered day after day. Sacrifices would be offered for nearly 2,000 years and yet they would never be for the forgiveness of our sins.
But one day, Jesus Christ came to earth.
The Bible declares:
For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Heb 9:24-26
Porque Cristo no entró en un lugar santo hecho por manos, una representación del verdadero, sino en el cielo mismo, para presentarse ahora en la presencia de Dios por nosotros,
y no para ofrecerse a sí mismo muchas veces, como el sumo sacerdote entra al Lugar Santísimo cada año con sangre ajena.
De otra manera le hubiera sido necesario sufrir muchas veces desde la fundación del mundo; pero ahora, una sola vez en la consumación de los siglos, se ha manifestado para destruir el pecado por el sacrificio de sí mismo.
Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was so precious, his sacrifice upon the cross was 100% sufficient to cleanse us from our sins!
We need no more sacrifices.
We need no more Messiah’s.
He is the only Messiah, he is the only sacrifice, he satisfied God’s wrath.
Consider what the Lord’s five senses experienced as he was giving up his life for our salvation:
Touch - He truly felt the nails piercing his flesh. He truly felt the pain of his beard being ripped off his face. He truly felt the pain of the whips ripping the the flesh off his back. The Lord truly felt the weight of the cross that he had to carry upon his bleeding back.
Taste - The Lord felt incredible thirst upon the cross. He was utterly dehydrated and they gave him to drink bitter vinegar which he refused to drink.
Hearing - The Lord felt the people curse him, the thief on his left continually mocked him although he too was dying a similar death.
Sight - The Lord saw his disciples flee when he was being arrested. The Lord saw the people he most trusted turn away from him, leaving him to suffer alone. The Lord saw the cross that he would have to carry up to the place of his death.
Smell - The Lord may have been able to smell scent of the sacrificial animals being brought to Jerusalem, he may have been able to smell the sacrificial animals being burned upon the bronze altar in Herod’s temple. Soon, very soon, there would be no more need of animal sacrifices.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus died for you and me. Jesus gave up his life in such a horrific way to bring salvation to all of us who believe in him. Surely he is worthy of our worship.
Let us bow down and worship the Lord who gave his life for our salvation.
And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Y cantaban* un cántico nuevo, diciendo:
Digno eres de tomar el libro y de abrir sus sellos, porque tú fuiste inmolado, y con tu sangre compraste para Dios a gente de toda tribu, lengua, pueblo y nación.
saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
,
que decían a gran voz:
El Cordero que fue inmolado digno es de recibir el poder, las riquezas, la sabiduría, la fortaleza, el honor, la gloria y la alabanza.
Rev
