New Testament Sacrifices
The day of sacrifices has NOT COME TO AN END! Whaaaaat! some will say. Am I saying it is still time to literally slit the throats of animals and offer them as sacrifices to the Lord? No, I did not say that. Even a casual, not so serious, reader of the Bible, knows that the Old Testament has lots of instructions and comments regarding a "sacrificial system" that the ancient peoples of Israel had to follow as part of their national governmental structure and way of religious life. Various animals and grain offerings were part of the daily life for the priesthood of national Israel to offer to the Eternal God. It was a very elaborate system. To be carried out in one central location. Many verses and chapters of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are devoted to expounding all the details of how these sacrifices were to be carried out. The people of Israel were to offer the VERY BEST of the flocks and herds, and grain to the Lord. Think for a moment, try to put yourself in the shoes of the farmers and ranchers back in those days, before 70 A.D. when the whole sacrificial system came to an end at the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by the armies of Rome under Titus. You had a tithing law that stated not only one tenth of your increase from your flocks, herds, and grain, was to go to the Lord, but it was to be the very best! True, the Eternal God is not only the one and only God but is also THE BEST of anything in the universe, so offering to Him only the best makes a lot of sense. I have the skill of being able to make shoes. If I was to give a gift of a pair of shoes to say, Prince Phillip or Queen Elizabeth, would I not give them the very best pair of shoes I could possibly make? Sure I would! So giving the best of your flocks and grain to the Lord is not so far out to the farmer. Yet, for a farmer to have a prized healthy, blemishless animal to breed from is something to be treasured. For they know that to have good strong healthy flocks you must have parent animals that are themselves healthy and strong - from good stock comes good stock. Sick weak animals do not generally produce prize winning offspring. For a farmer to give up prized livestock and grain is no small "sacrifice" as we use the word in a metaphorical sense. In that sense of the word then, SACRIFICES by the people of God have always been and will always be offered while physical humans are on this earth! Yes, since 70 A.D. the literal offering of literal animals in sacrifice at a temple by a physical priesthood, has come to an end. BUT the New Testament makes it plain that the days of sacrifices, in another sense, did not end in 70 A.D. For the Bible speaks of sacrifices that do not pertain to animals or grain or fruits, and those sacrifices continue as they always have for the children of God. SACRIFICES FOR TODAY There is a meaning to the word "sacrifice" that is very much applicable for New Testament Christians. In part the World Book Dictionary gives this meaning to sacrifice: ".......2.a. a giving up of one thing for another; destruction or surrender of something valued or desired for the sake of a higher object or more pressing claim....." It is written: "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in OBEYING the voice of the Lord? Behold, to OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to HEED than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry"(1 Samuel 15:22,23). Every kind of literal sacrifice, whether it be of animals, grain, fruit, giving up your money, your home, your automobile, exotic vacation, giving up cigarette smoking, working 80 hours a week, and other such things that may have an outward show of piety, is to no avail in acquiring God's favour UNLESS THE HEART IS IN ACCORD WITH THE LORD. And that means the heart and mind must have repented of sin (the breaking of the law of God - 1 John 3:4; Romans 7:7) and with humility is now willing to OBEY and HEED the words and truth of the living God. For the Lord says: ".....on this one will I look; on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" Isaiah 66:2). Jesus said that man was not to live by bread alone but by every word of God(Matthew 4:4). He said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled"(Mat.5:6). One Bible definition of righteousness is found in Psalms 119:172. All of God's commandments are righteousness! To find someone today who truly desires, loves, wants to obey and heed what God says and teaches him/her in ALL His word, who is willing and wanting to be corrected(as Jeremiah cried out - Jer.10:23,24), to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus, who loves the truth(2 Thes.2:10) which will set them free(John 8:32), to find this kind of mentally motivated person today is like finding a pearl of great price. Concerning the glorious coming of the Lord, Jesus asked this question: "......Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall He find THE faith on the earth"(Luke 18: 8, original Greek). Yes, there will be ones on the earth that will have the faith when Jesus returns - they will be the ones called and chosen - the elect of God. They will be showing and manifesting the SACRIFICE of a humble, teachable, repentant, obedient heart and mind to all the word of the Lord. As the Psalmist has written: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart - These, O God, You will not despise"(Ps.51:17). If you are not sure about what the word of God teaches concerning HUMILITY, REAL REPENTANCE, and SAVING FAITH, then please request the in-depth study articles by those names. Also you may like to request the article called SAVED BY GRACE. It will make the truth plain about the subject of law and grace. Another sacrifice that is for all time, yesterday, today, and forever, is found in Psalms 107 and verse 22. "Let them sacrifice the sacrifice of THANKSGIVING, and declare His works with rejoicing." How much do you THANK the Lord? It is so easy to "take things for granted" in this physical life. Often it is not until hard times come or tragedies occur that we stop to "smell the roses along the way." Sometimes it takes a "near death" experience for many of us to realize how much we have and to be thankful for what the Lord has given us. Oh, we may not have this or that, we may loose this or that, one or more of the five senses, this material thing, or a particular job etc. Whatever our situation is, good or bad when compared to others, it is usually true that whatever circumstance we are in there is somebody with less than us. If you are a Christian, then you have MUCH to be thankful for. Above all else, you should be thankful that God has called and chosen you to be His child and in the first resurrection, which the word says is a better resurrection. So you need every day to sacrifice the sacrifice of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to your heavenly Father. Give Him your "thank you Father" for my food, my clothes, my work, my home, for your wonderful creations around me, for the angels who help and serve me, for your word of truth and life, your holy spirit which is your nature within me. Thank you Father for correcting me in your love, for guiding me, for teaching me. Thank you Father for loving and having mercy upon me, for forgiving me my sins. Thank you Father for sending Christ Jesus to live and die that I may have eternal life. Thank you Christ Jesus that you were willing to put aside the glory you had with the Father, and that you were willing to come as flesh and blood to live and die for the sins of the whole world. Thank you Christ that you are now acting as our High Priest - intercessor - in heaven so we can be constantly forgiven our sins and saved by your life. Thank you Father that you have promised to send Jesus back to this earth to usher in the age to come, when all nations will come under your rule and find peace, blessings, health, and salvation in your family and Kingdom. The New Testament also admonishes us to: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name"(Hebrews 13:15). Thank the Lord, PRAISE the Lord, declare His works with REJOICING! That is a sacrifice for today and tomorrow! A sacrifice that has always been greater and more acceptable to the Lord than any number of prize animal/grain sacrifices, is the sacrifice of "righteousness and justice"(Proverbs 21:3). We have covered somewhat already the sacrifice of righteousness. I want to cover a little the sacrifice of JUSTICE. The working of justice in day to day life involves the use of judgment, the use of judging. Many are confused about this topic of judging or justice. They think Christians should not judge. Some think that Christians should have such an open and broad mine for everything and every person, that "love" is all they should manifest. But it is usually a "love" that is defined by the people espousing such ideas, and not by the Bible's definition. Such love is so broad-minded and open that things fall out, or as I once heard one man say: "don't be so open minded that your brains fall out." Christians must at times judge. It will be inevitable. Some time, sooner or later, we shall have to use judgment and justice pertaining to this or that issue or person. Jesus once told certain individuals that they used "carnal" - fleshly, unrighteous judgment. He also told others to use "righteous judgment." There is much to say and expound on this particular sacrifice for today. Here is not the place. For those who would like to know more about this important Biblical topic, please request my article called Judgment. Needless to say it is a New Testament doctrine that must be a part of a Christians life. God's children are to be busy performing Spiritual sacrifices, that of the heart and mind which is translated into obedience. "Coming to Him(Christ) as to a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up SPIRITUAL sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ........Therefore to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient.....they stumble, being disobedient to the word.....But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praise of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honourable among the Gentiles......For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men - as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond-servants of God......that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness....."(1 Peter 2:4-24). SACRIFICES CAN BE GOOD DEEDS With all I have said and that has been written above, we must not believe that sacrifices today are just something in the heart and mind only, and not something that can have literal tangible works, for if we do, God's word will correct us in our mistake. Notice it, Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 16, "But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Helping, serving, giving, sharing what we have with others in whatever way fits the situation and circumstance, is classified as sacrifices and is well pleasing to the Lord. Yes of course for such doing is loving our neighbour as ourselves and fulfilling the second of the two great commandments. When Paul was in literal physical want at one time in his life, the brethren at Philippi came to his service. Let's read it. "Nevertheless you have done well that you SHARED in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel......no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable SACRIFICE, WELL PLEASING TO GOD"(Philippians 4:14-18). We must not forget to give and serve and share our lives, our time, our talents, our encouragement, our physical goods, to our fellow man, for in so doing we offer sacrifices that are well pleasing to the Lord. SACRIFICING - THE FULL CIRCLE We have it all summed up for us by Paul in his letter to the churches at Rome: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God"(Romans 12:1- 2). Indeed there it is, that is the truth of the matter. The New Testament Christian is to completely sacrifice HIM or HER self, in heart, mind, attitude, and life, on the altar of dying to the sins of the world and living according to that which is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God. The day of sacrifices IS NOT OVER! The Eternal God wants you to sacrifice, He expects you to sacrifice! The Lord wants you to sacrifice YOURSELF to Him, in humble repentant obedience to live by His every word. Will you do it? If you do then one day you will hear these words from Jesus: "Well done you good and faithful servant, enter you into the joy of your Lord." .................. Written July 1996 By Keith Hunt (all Biblical quotations from the NKJV) |
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