Spiritual Pattern part 8

"Using acacia wood, construct a square altar 7½ feet wide, 7½ feet long, and 4½ feet high.

"Using acacia wood, construct a square altar 7½ feet wide, 7½ feet long, and 4½ feet high.

Make horns for each of its four corners so that the horns and altar are all one piece. Overlay the altar with bronze.

Make ash buckets, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans, all of bronze.

Make a bronze grating for it, and attach four bronze rings at its four corners.

Install the grating halfway down the side of the altar, under the ledge.

For carrying the altar, make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.

Insert the poles through the rings on the two sides of the altar.

The altar must be hollow, made from planks. Build it just as you were shown on the mountain.

INTRODUCTION

Good Evening Southpointe, We are going to continue on the study of Spiritual Pattern. We were talking last week about the Brazen altar and we are going to finish up on it tonight.

I want to start with the size of it:

Show the picture of the altar of burnt offering

"Using acacia wood, construct a square altar 7½ feet wide, 7½ feet long, and 4½ feet high.

It would seem that by comparing the measurements given of the other vessels with that of the altar it is big enough to contain all of them.

"Have the people make an Ark of the covenant—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

The Ark of the covenant—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

The table of showbread was to be 3 feet long, 1-½ feet wide, and about 2-½ feet high.

If I was to go thru all of them then one thing that is very interesting is that all of them would fit in the brazen altar.

So could this be a very strong suggest that all spiritual blessings flow out of the atoning death of Christ.

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

One more thing to think about is all the other vessels thru out were sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice.

Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It is a great and precious truth that when we trust in Christ as the Sacrifice for us we will enter into all the blessings of His resurrection and life.

We can only do this as we walk in faith and begin to understand what the sacrifice of Christ really is, and start realizing the need of Christ in our lives.

The apostles said to the Lord, "Show us how to increase our faith."

Can I tell us that this is the question that is ask so much, I want more faith, how do I get more faith?

The Lord answered, "If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,' and it would obey you!

"When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, 'Come in and eat with me'?

No, he says, 'Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.'

And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not.

In the same way, when you obey Me you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'"

Understand this: We can only walk in faith when we come to a understanding of the Sacrifice. And when we have a understanding of the Sacrifice when we realize how unworthy we really are that the God, The Creator of this world died for us.

You want to have more faith, start recognizing the greatest and costly Sacrifice Christ became for us, and how unworthy we are that God would do that for us.

Then we serve not out of rewards, or gifts but it just simply our duty.

So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."

All blessings come from Christ’s Sacrifice!!

Now let’s look at the horns. This brazen altar was four-square: it stood solid and stable.

At each corner was a horn. The horn is the symbol of power.

They pointed in every direction, and spoke of power and enough for the whole world.

The sacrifices were bound to the horns of the altar before being killed.

God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

You see, reference here to bind sacrifice with cords unto the horns of the altar.

But let’s get a clear understanding again about The Sacrifice, Jesus Christ, Our Great Sacrifice on the altar of the Cross, Jesus was not nailed or tied down with cords , only with cords of love, that was stronger than death.

No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded."

Now let’s go back to something that I said earlier, They pointed in every direction.

Those horns looked every way so the does the power of The Cross of Christ which looks over this whole sin-smitten world.

The value of this Sacrifice is enough to meet the dying need of all men.

"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Now let’s look at the grate:

Right in the middle of the altar was a grate, on which the offerings were laid.

The ashes fell through the grate into pans underneath.

But this is the most important thing about the grate. The grate was halfway down in the altar and was still as high as the mercy-seat.

Many believe that this is God’s way of saying that the cross of the crucified Son of God is on a level with the righteous throne of God.

The mercy seat was the throne of God, the sacrifice must be equal to it.

The death and sacrifice of Jesus settled the demands and claims of the righteous God and this was all done on the behalf of sinners that would one day stand before Him.

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.

Nobody stand a chance because of the laws. We were all guilty.

And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

In the death of Jesus there is enough to satisfy God.But the question is this: Is there not enough to satisfy you?

This offering that was laid on the grate was called the burnt offering because of the burning upon the altar all night until the morning.

"Give Aaron and his sons the following instructions regarding the burnt offering. The burnt offering must be left on top of the altar until the next morning, and the fire on the altar must be kept burning all night.

In the morning, after the priest on duty has put on his official linen clothing and linen undergarments, he must clean out the ashes of the burnt offering and put them beside the altar.

Then he must take off these garments, change back into his regular clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.

Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it.

Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.

This offering was also called a sweet savor offering.

But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Christ offered the sacrifice on His own voluntary will.

The offering display the work that Christ did upon the cross for Sinners. We find that Christ meet God’s God’s holiness and satisfies His demands.

First, we find that Christ offered Himself without spot to God and doing the will of the Father, satisfying all His claims without any reservation on the Lord’s part.

Secondly, Christ meets man’s need. That is why it is called a whole burnt offering.

It was given to God in its entirety, man have no share in it.

But at the same time it teaches that we in turn must surrender our best, and yes, I mean our all, seeking only to please Him who has called us.

It is only to the extent in which we surrender our all to Him that we will learn to appreciate the fact that we are receiving His all in our lives.

Because in the measure in which we seek to please Him we shall know those pleasures of being His servant.