Devoted to the LORD: Jesus, the Nazarene & We, the Nazarenes
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ever played the little game, My name is Harry, I am going on a trip and I’m going to bring Hamburgers, If you can’t figure out the riddle can’t go. But if you do you’re going the trip. Well, as the LORD spells out His kingdom, a bit of a riddle for us - a condition for being part of his kingdom, going on His wilderness journey. The condition isn’t perfection, but holiness that deals with both sin and uncleanness. This is given at the end, the last laws before they set out. Each law representative so far, marriage ones - loyalty and faithfulness, cares so much for that relationship symbol of his relationship with us. God recognizes suspicion distrust, trials, pollution, - all ways these laws showing in the wilderness-world, away for purification. We live in a world with death sickness leprosy - way for cleansing back into fellowship, - but you enter this special and protected fellowship. Well, as the Law of the Nazarite is given, we see a condition for walking with the LORD - not just Levites and priests and the leaders, but for all his people - for you and me to be dedicated in our lives, devoted and consecrated unto the LORD. And this morning, I must show you that Jesus fulfilled this for us, and now, one with Him, our lives can be devoted to the LORD too.
In this series, Formed in the Wilderness, we remember that God isn’t forming a people the way the nations do, or the way we do it on our own; choosing rich, powerful famous, drafting people here this morning - look over your resume’s and we are going to take the “best & most qualified.” No, the LORD has them come into the wilderness - sees their weakness, and He is testing, not all their skill and moral fortitude, but what is he testing? Their devotion, and dependence on Him -to see with FAITH AND TRUST in God. Sure one that would result in thankful obedience. but the big qualifier of this forming time -would be their ability to trust the LORD in the wilderness.
And we’ve seen that, the organization of the camp before they leave, numbering of the people, the stationing of them around the tent of meting, tabernacle, the special role of the Levites -it all points to God’s desire to make the biggest thing about this nation - be that God Himself dwells with them, intimacy fellowship through forgiveness and atonement, and really protects, trains, guides, empowers them! And we’ve seen how the tabernacle, the Levites, the sacrifices, all point to Jesus.
And now we’ve celebrated Christams and the incarnation of the Son of God to tabernacle in the middle of our wilderness. And it should be quiet striking that as Matthew records his birth and childhood, as the Messiah-child is brought back to the launch pad of his ministry, Matthew records one of 13 fulfillments. How he tells the Jesus story - all fulfilling prophecies. And as the Christ-child, comes through the same wilderness from Egypt back to the hill of country of Judea, he finds out Herod the Great’s sons now ruling particular Roman provinces, and Archelaus the most ruthless is reigning in Judea, Idumea, Samaria. So ruthless that in 6AD Caesar himself put him out of office, because of how incredibly cruel he was to the people.
So Joseph doesn’t hesitate to raise the Messiah, not close to the seat of earthly, political military power in Judea by Jersualem. He has know qualms to raise the Messiah in the wilderness of the most hated part of Israel in Galilee.
Walked the Roman encampment there - Sepphoris Galileans seen as consorting with the enemy, giving them home, possible as all mason and carpenters conscripted to build theater, bathe houses, mona lisa of Middle East, gymnasium of Rome, that Joseph himself built here at this time. Not a physical wilderness so much fertility and lush vegetation, but wilderness of society - hated despised, Nazareth only town of about 500, and a term of derision. And Joseph doesn’t hesitate for the Messiah to begin in the wilderness and small beginning. Why not?
Why does Matthew record as the child Messiah begins his child years and coming of age years with these words?
And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
In our English don’t see that the word - has an o where that second a is. Nazoraios. It has to do with a play on two Hebrews words. One being, that the Christ would be a sprout, little branch, humble beginning, like the city of Nazareth, despised. But the other Hebrew word that Christ is fulfilling and Matthew is alluding to is Nazir. This Christ would be the Nazite par excellent, the one devoted to the LORD, so completely and even without all the outward ritual and symbolic trappings, that those who are joined to him would also be Nazarenes devoted to the Lord. And we need to see that both in and that great fulfillment, isn’t just that the Messiah is devoted, or that priests, kings, prophets, special people are devoted to the LORD. No, what was God’s intent at Sinai, that the whole nation would be priests unto God, holy nation. This New Years hundreds of people received exercise clothes, equipment, even little cards - but none of that makes them physically fit. Only devoting themselves day after day diet, exercise, with knee surgery after … - you can tell the ones like my neighour because: snow rain, sleet after New Years’ Eve or after good nights’ sleep this guy is out - banana, bright yellow jacket , - he’s in the groove, in the zone, he dedicated and experiencing fitness and running. And God’s symbolic laws so far have dealt with how a nation, Levites how households organized for devotion to the Lord, holiness as a people. But the last and climactic one, again for both men and women, is for how that devotion is for every individual! Let’s look at how one could be NAZIR: devoted, separated unto the LORD even through pollution, how Jesus was, and how now you and I can be as we set out on our wilderness journey!
A. The Nazarite Vow is for Deepest Communion with God
This law formalized a concept that existed before the nation of Israel was formed, and before Christ came. The first occurence of the idea of a Nazarite is actually found in the life of Joseph.
The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
No doubt a lot of pollution, pride, sin in young Joseph, but there was a SETTING APART from that sin, to serve a special purpose of service to God, to His family, God’s family, even to the starving nations around him, and Egyptians. Do you think that you could be set apart by God in your family, in this church, in this world starving going on?
Where else do we see this idea in the OT? Well before this point God appointed priests, particularly the high priest. And it is so fascinating that this word NAZIR is the same word used for the consecration or separation of the Priests. The head of the priest, just like the head of the Nazarite was to be consecrated. the nazarite was to be SEPARATED As holy unto the Lord, Just like the Priests. And the same term NEZER is used with the High Priest diadem, and his anointing oil, and later with the crown of the king’s, all the same as the nezer the set apart symbol of the Nazarite head - with gift of long hair! The fact the high priest's diadem and oil, the king’s crown and the Nazarene's long hair are all called by this special name NEZER, suggests that the ordinary Joe or Jill lay person in Israel, had a holiness that exceeded the priests, and was like their high priest and kings.
And this is how you must understand the 3 things that an OT Nazarite had to keep away from. Each of these abstentions, like the ones the priests and high priest in particular had to keep. Each of the three things they must keep themselves from actually big ideas in the pagan religions around them. 1. The fruit of the vine, not just alcoholic wine, but all that fertility abstain from that. Priests just had to when their turn to come into the tabernacle, but Nazarites even more so - never allowed to.
Then look at the last abstention: not touch anyone dead. And again you see that God desires for common individuals like you and me, to have holiness that exceeds the priests. The priests couldn’t touch the body go to the funeral of other people or distant relatives, but allowed for close relatives. But the high priests and the Nazarites- no defilement of death in to their life - abstain.
Then there is the most famous abstention, not cutting the hair, which should make us think of the most famous Nazarite, one for his whole life, who indeed lived in the wilderness, and broke each of these vows, in dire need of consecration from pollution, but we remember him for his hair why? Philistines also magical power - but God doesn’t work with such magic. Hair was a symbol of this crown and anointing over a person - filled them with vitality. The hair was a sign of a charismatic individual empowered by the Holy Spirit and by the Holiness of the LORD. And so of Samson we read;
for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
And in the LXX Greek word the same as the one Matthew uses but with the i instead of the w. There is no single prophesy or even word Nazarene applied to Messiah. but Matthew says the prophesies , all the prophets made about Messiah as the Nazarine coming to fulfillment. Jesus, like Israel oppressed by foreign power, Idumean in Jesus day, philistine in Sampson day,and now with a child set apart unto holiness for God from birth, the Messiah the LORD is starting to save His people.
The point here is that God wants all his people to be empowered and to set apart, and with all holiness - devoted to the LORD like this, and the book of Numbers shows with this climactic law, this. It gives the ways that this can be restored when pollution intrudes our life set apart from God, and look at what it shows about the purpose of a life set apart for God? After the directions are spelled out for keeping in this holiness even through pollutions, look how the time of competition for the Nazarite is marked:
Where - at the tent of meeting. How? Not just one or two offerings , but a host of them, giving them minimum. But most notable in this list are the last two: Look at
And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering.
And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
Here is the heart of it- in addition to all the sin offerings - because never keep our vows fully, the Nazarite -offers the very symbol of himself, on the altar as the hair is shaved, gathered, consecrated on the altar and burned unto the LORD. Unlike something like the firstborns of Israel, conscripted, and then like Levites born into. the pinnacle of the type of people God is raising up in his kingdom are to be like Nazatrite, voluntarily offering themselves to the LORD. There time of the vow and conditions is over - but this calling to all Israelites lays open up.
Look a the last part of how the Nazarite vow is completed: That hair is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. The peace offering, was the non -schedule, voluntary offering in Israel that the priest and the one offering would eat, after part of it had gone tot he LORD. Here is a common man or woman in Israel, anointed and set apart unto the LORD, and God says, now come and eat and drink - enter my communion and live in it:
and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.
In this way the Nazarite was to be a sign and symbol of all Israel being called to be holy to the Lord and to enter into real service and fellowship with Him. God was calling all of us voluntarily to step forward and say I will live with greatest zeal for God in this life and ith dedication to Your ways, your laws O lord.
Think of it this way: is the map of God’s people moral universe, and the last and pinnacle law is that we live in this kind of devotion individually. And that’s the pinnacle law for how Israel is to be organized before beginning their journey.
But now, Matthew records that Jesus is the Nazerite par excellant, and I need to tell you Jesus was that for you, in your place.
B. The Devotion God Desires from You Was Fulfilled in Jesus, on your behalf
And perhaps you say how could Jesus fulfill everything pictured in this pinnacle vow and God’s desire for His people in the Nazarite vow? Jesus who touched the dead, Jesus who turned water into wine, and supped with tax collectors and sinners. How could Jesus who is not recorded as growing out his hair and beard, and then shaving his head and offering that on the altar how could he possibly be a Nazarite?
And here you must picture all of the OT ritual and the literal laws of the Nazarite as necessary scaffolding to build a life of extraordinary devotion. For instance, wine, speaks of enjoying fellowship with close friends and family, it speaks of rich God-given earthly pleasure. But this sign of devotion was to show that even above earthly pleasure a Nazarite wasn’t living for mere earthly pleasure or fellowship but sought fellowship with God and not only earthly pleasure but spiritual pleasure with God above all else.
And the hair, like that priests diadem, or the kings crown, a mark necessary for the people - that this person stands for something new and strange and wonderful. Right if you went to work tomorrow, or coffee at friends house, or school, and someone showed up crowned with a big Rastafarians - dread locks and crowned that with a black , red, green croquette hat - might say this is a guy who takes his religion seriously, and if cannabis leaf on their - say he take his drugs seriously too. In the same way, physical sign of Nazarene rubbing shoulders in the middle of Israel life in the camp - holiness , the way of the LORD big big deal. What was the big deal with Jesus head, and the nazer, the rosette, crown, diadem placed on him? He endured the crown of thrones, denying himself even of life, showing his dedication to God, God’s plan and our salvation.
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
And the touching of the dead, and those laws that provided a purification in the pollution. Jesus touched the dead in the way that a Nazarite couldn't, but here is the wonder, he accomplished what the laws about how to deal with death in the OT aimed at. Death was not to intrude intt the completeness of life with God. And Jesus when he physically touched the dead, he, physically and spiritually, healed what he touched!
And so you need to see that though this Jesus didn’t need the literal and physical scaffolding - he is accomplishing perfectly the life of a common human being utterly and zealously devoted to God! And that’s why didn’t need those sacrifices to cover over his missteps. And when it came to the end of the vow He made to the Father and the Spirit, he would be be utterly separated from sin and unto the Lord, he would begin to save God’s people in this world, when He accomplished that - he didn’t just offer up his hair as a sign, He offered up His very self ont hat Cross, body and soul he suffred and consumed by the wrath of God for our sins. He is the ultimate self-suffering unto the Lord and for saving others.
Many cultures - have hair sacrifices. Hair seen as the vitality and the life force of the head of a person. Think even in our culture - someone grow their hair, and gifts it for making of wigs of those going through cancer . In a sacrifice infinitely more than that, Christ gifts His strength, vitality, passion to God and for us. And trusting Him, as he represents us offering to God the perfect zeal and life we owe him, Christ now gifts us His Spirit , His presence, and His power, so you can be a NT Nazarite in Him, without the old scaffolding!!
C. United to Christ, Devote Yourself in Self-Sacrifice to Serving Others
And that brings us to the great conclusion. When that Nazarite had brought his vow to completion, what would happen after the sacrifice? With that new hair cut, he or she is able to go into the midst of Israel and drink wine with them. The re-enter society in fellowship with those around them, but they are in those people’s lives as ones dedicated to the LORD. Well, what happens after Christ gave His sacrifice and we have trusted in Him? Jesus fulfills the law of the Nazarite, and look what people who are untied to him and follow in His ways are called: when Paul is on trial listen to how Christians are described:
the sect of the Nazarenes.
For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
Without the scaffolding of those literal laws, we are to be like those Nazarenes in Isael’s community. People who with a zeal for the Lord like Christ, offer ourselves. Just like Jesus of Nazareth is anointed with not a crown of big hair, but by the very Spirit of God,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
You don’t need big hair, but you need to share in this anointing of the Spirit of God and with power. You don’t need to avoid dead bodies, need to go among those who grieve and touch them with the hope of the resurrection and victory over death. You don’t need to avoid wine and vinegar, (though with zeal for the Lrod will avoid drunkenness and other sins that focus our attention more on earhtly pleasure then haeevenly ones). But we go into the earthly fellowship of friends and family to witness to the fellowship of heaven, and of God’s household. And like Jesus the model of the Nazarene at the end of the vow stands for us, GIVE NOT OUR HAIR< NOR OUR LIVES ON THE CROSS< BUT STILL - living lives of self-sacrifice for God’s glory and the well-being of others. Jesus did this par excellent and that is our salvation. His self-offering is God’s own self-offering to us! And that becomes the ground of our living sacrifice to God, a continual self-offering that characterizes true love of and from God! Agape self-giving love:
Jesus says
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
But listen to how those who are united to him who have that salvation, look at how true zeal is described in thei lives:
Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Can you say this afternoon, spend sometime thinking and praying about - for whom you are laying down your life, being poured out in your prayer, a service, and love? This last and pinnacle Law of the Nazerene, - shows the deepest and most difficulty part of Israel’s calling and Christian discipleship.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
That’s the mystery of our faith: Christ’s self offering giving himself. T
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
That’s at the heart of the inner life of the Trinity - this self-giving love, inner life of our our relationship with God, and as we hear this calling in and see it fulfilled but also exemplified in the life of Christ, - will be the new Israel - as we have been loved like this, in devotion will we love and devote ourselves in the same way? A Nezer was also that symbol of the hair, the diadem of the priest, the crown of the king on a head. We have the mark of the Cross, baptized into the life and death of Jesus, His life and His Spirit. The Nazarite life, fulfilled and empowered by Christ, is God’s design for you and me. Listen to
The Nazarite life fulfiled and empowerd by Christ is God’s dseign for you and me. Listen to
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Find this holiness in Christ and commit yourself with zeal and devotion - that’s God’ desire for every one of his people. Oh congregation, the literal ritual laws of the Nazarite have been put away, but most serious thing to make vows. And you and I have this New Year’s , we have in our professions of faith, and you have seriously consider that God delights in such vows, and as you step forward and answer his call he equips. So look at how this law started:
And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,
Oh congregation, the lieteral ritual laws of the Nazarite have been put away, but most serious thing to make vows. And you and I have this New Year’s , we have in our professions of faith, and you have seriuosly consider that God delights in such vows, and as you step forwad and answer his call he equips. But look at how this law started:
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,
That word special vow. Word Pellah, used to describe God himself. And God says, to us this morning - who will with My name and empower by My Spirit, in union with the Messiah who has come - who will make a special vow - its for all my people. The sacrifices have been made, the wine abstained from. Offer yourself to God and offer yourself in service to one another. This is the new wine that Christ fills His believers to the full with. It is the new wine for Nazerite for whom he has fulfilled the vow!
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”
And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”
And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”
Offer youself to God and offer yourself in service to one naother. This is the new wine that Christ fills His bleievers to the full with. It is the new wine for Nazerite for hwom he has fulfilled the vow!
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go: ...I give Thee back the life I owe, That in Thine ocean depths its flow, May richer fuller be
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer fuller be