Spiritual Pattern part 9

Then the LORD said to Moses,

"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.

INTRODUCTION

Good evening, Southpointe!

We are still on the Spiritual Pattern! Last week we talked about the Altar within itself.

But tonight we are going to talk some on the sacrifice.

We are going to begin with the Ashes.

What do you do with the ashes? I would think and probably you too. Just cast them outside anywhere and let the winds scatter them.

That’s human wisdom!

But everything is sacred here: nothing is to be taken lightly.

The ashes are precious small part in the priest’s eyes, because of the value attached to them by God.

You see, the ashes speak of a sacrifice made and more especially of a sacrifice accepted by God through the consuming fire.

The ashes were the evidence that “It was finished,” that the offering was accepted in the sinner’s place.

Then the LORD said to Moses,

"Suppose one of you sins against your associate and is unfaithful to the LORD. Suppose you cheat in a deal involving a security deposit, or you steal or commit fraud,

or you find lost property and lie about it, or you lie while swearing to tell the truth, or you commit any other such sin.

If you have sinned in any of these ways, you are guilty. You must give back whatever you stole, or the money you took by extortion, or the security deposit, or the lost property you found,

or anything obtained by swearing falsely. You must make restitution by paying the full price plus an additional 20 percent to the person you have harmed. On the same day you must present a guilt offering.

As a guilt offering to the LORD, you must bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value.

Through this process, the priest will purify you before the LORD, making you right with Him, and you will be forgiven for any of these sins you have committed."

It was the last thing they saw of the sacrifice. It was a constant reminder to them my sins are forgiven. Because the ashes was there!

It should be something we never forget: The last word heard from Christ on the Cross, “It is finished,” the work of suffering and death was done, forgiveness, the atonement was accomplished.

The dead body of the Son of God(the ashes) declared that all was done that could be done.

I like that work finished:

Web. definition: finished- brought to the desired final state; ended or brought to an end;

Unlike those other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when He offered Himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins.

Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Because of Jesus coming and dying, He being that perfect, sinless, sacrifice all other sacrifice are no more need< It is finished.

But what was to be done with the ashes? They were to be carried out and laid in a clean place.

The carrying forth of the ashes was in the sight of Israel was like funeral.

Think about this the body of Jesus was carried forth and laid in a clean place.

Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock.

You see, the value of the ashes does not lie in what we think of them, but in the high estimate set upon them by God Himself.

In other words, It doesn’t matter what value you put on Christ, Or if you even believe in Christ and the sacrifice Christ was on the Cross. It is what God’s value and what God said that matters.

To some, it is no big deal so Christ died on the cross, let the ashes blow in the wind. But God said: take the body (ashes to a clean place) honor the ashes.

Understand that Christ is the Burnt Offering, giving His all to satisfaction of the Father.

When we look at this whole picture of the offering.

Aaron’s sons was pointing to the church of Jesus Christ, by first showing us that they were the sons of the great High Priest and the church is the priestly household.

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

2. The duties of the priest which they had to perform in this offering.

a. Sprinkle the blood round about the altar.

Then slaughter the young bull in the LORD's presence, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the animal's blood by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands at the entrance to the Tabernacle.

As believers, when we accepted the blood of Jesus Christ and knowing that life is in the blood which satisfied a Holy God on our behalf, we do not store that blood of Jesus Christ as our own private possession, but we as priest must distribute it around in a way that others may see and recognize the truth.

That blood which cleanse us and bought us.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver.

It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days.

Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because He raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory.

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

This we don’t do is scatter the blood just anywhere as something thrown away, because the blood is holy.

In other words, know how precious and holy the blood of Jesus Christ is and don’t make it as ordinary.

Men in the old testament times was not permitted to eat blood because the life is in the blood.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.

Don’t trample upon the blood of Jesus Christ.

b. Flay the burnt offering.

b. Flay the burnt offering.

Then skin the animal and cut it into pieces.

This flaying of the sacrifice was the skinning of the animal. This is were the whole part of the inwards was revealed.

To see if the sacrifice was without blemish. The priest would cut it into pieces. It was not chopped or hacked is some crude fashion but carefully dissecting of the animal.

> The head— the seat of the mind and the intellect.

>The inwards— the will and the affections.

>The legs— the outward walk and conduct.

> The fat— health and could it reproduce.

When Christ was offered up, He was examined this way and the results were this:

In Him no sin.

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

He knew no sin.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

He did no sin.

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

He was without sin.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

This is what God the Father said about His Son.

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus satisfied His Father in thought, in word, in deed, and in walk.

We are challenge and encouraged to examine the nature and the person of Christ.

And if you if examine Jesus, you will see that He came not to do His own will but the will of the Father.

And that He was sinless,perfect sacrifice.

But we must wonder how do we stack up.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The sons of Aaron the priest will build a wood fire on the altar.

d. Wash the inwards and the legs.

e. Burn the whole upon the altar.

But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.