Time with Jesus - Sunday, 02 December 2012
Hi all,
The Sacrificial System of the Old Covenant was very
complicated. Certainly from our understanding it was most complicated. It had
to be. The system was intended by God to represent what Jesus would be for New
Covenant believers. They are thus a “type” of Jesus. Now Jesus Christ’s death
upon that cross was difficult to describe in terms of Old Testament imagery. In
this instance, five different “procedures were required to accomplish what He
achieved with one! Furthermore, the death and blood of an animal is not really
sufficient to atone for the sins of anyone. That’s why it was repeated every
year on the Day of Atonement. I suppose you could say that these sacrifices
were the “down payment” for the Grand Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His
sacrificial death would not have to be repeated every year. Once was more than
sufficient for everyone.
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Sunday, 02 December 2012
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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THE
SACRIFICE
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My
love affair with the Methodist Church goes back to 1951. As a nine year old I
was sent as a boarder to Kingswood College in Grahamstown. It was a
“water-shed” year for me. After evening “prep” one of the masters read from
Pilgrim’s Progress. On other occasions we would sing hymns from the Methodist
Hymn Book. That’s where I “cut my teeth” on hymn singing. The school was by
no means what we would call “devout”. We were just boys growing up in a
Methodist environment. They didn’t “push” the Bible at us. But they used it
for light disciplinary purposes. If you did something wrong, the prefect
would say, “Exodus 20”. It was the equivalent of writing “lines”. It meant
that we had to spend time writing out Exodus 20 from the King James Bible.
Fortunately for me, my parents had given me a Bible for Christmas 1950. So I
was able to find Exodus 20 and write it out. I quickly learned it comprised
what today we call, the “Ten Commandments”. It also meant that I had to read
something from the Bible. I had a go at reading Exodus but quickly became
aware that it was mainly about some funny old tent Moses had to build.
Frankly, in those days it had no relevance to me whatsoever! Incidentally, I
still have that Bible. It’s well used and a bit grubby. But it still has
great value for me.
Of
course, the “tent” was the Tabernacle God instructed Moses to build.
Subsequently I got a better idea of what it was all about. What fascinates me
are the animal sacrifices in terms of the Old Covenant and the ritual by
which the Children of Israel had their unintentional sins “covered over” for
a year. There was no sacrifice for deliberate sin. The law declared such
people must die. Then I began thinking about the sacrificial system itself. I
realised that 2 000 000 people came out of Egypt. Then I took a guess and
concluded that although there were about 500 000 families, by the time each
family came to confess their sins, there could have been as many as 2 000 000
animals to sacrifice every year. So over 1500 years there would have been some
3 billion animals sacrificed! Probably many more!
It
struck me that it was a huge waste of animal life. There had to be a better
way. There was and is. Jesus Christ came! His life is worth infinitely more
than all the animals in creation. Furthermore, the Life of God is worth
infinitely more than the lives of an infinite number of people. Suddenly the
“penny dropped”. His death upon the cross was worth the lives of every man,
woman and child who had, who is, or will ever live on this planet. So He is
the sacrifice for the intentional and unintentional sins of homo-sapiens!
That’s it! The blood of animals is no longer efficacious. His blood is all we
need.
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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22 let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22 ESV
13 Under the old system, the blood of goats
and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from
ceremonial impurity. 14 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.
Hebrews 9:13-14 NLT
24 You have come to Jesus, who brings the new promise from God, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message
than Abel's.
Hebrews 12:24 GW
7 We have been set free because of what
Christ has done. Through his blood our sins have been forgiven. We have been
set free because God's grace is so rich.
Ephesians 1:7 NIrV
19 Moses first announced every commandment
of the law to all the people. Then he took the blood of calves. He also took
water, bright red wool and branches of a hyssop plant. He sprinkled the
scroll. He also sprinkled all of the people. 20 He said,
"This is the blood of the covenant God has commanded you to keep."
(Exodus 24:8) 21 In the same way, he
sprinkled the holy tent with blood. He also sprinkled everything that was
used in worship there. 22 In
fact, the law requires that nearly everything be made clean with blood.
Without the spilling of blood, no one can be forgiven.
Hebrews 9:19-22 NIrV
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There had been those practices for fifteen hundred years.
God gave them to Moses on Horeb, it appears. Horeb = Mt Sinai
Very complicated. Was always done “just so”.
According to the Scripture, ‘twas how they had to go.
The “Sin” and the “Guilt” offerings; The “Fellowship” or “Peace”
The “Burnt” and the “Grain” offerings began and didn’t cease,
Until the Babylonians took all of them away.
But they were reinstated, when they came back to stay.
They actually continued until seventy AD;
When Titus burned Jerusalem, is when they ceased to be.
Except for the “Grain” offering each one required blood.
So all throughout these ages, there must have been a flood,
Of bulls and rams and male birds or pigeons for the poor.
This multitude of offerings; and yet, there was no cure,
For sins which were deliberate. The sinner had to die!
And as we look back on it, we ask the question, “Why?”
We look back on the animals and all the blood they shed.
“Enough to fill an ocean” keeps running through my head!
There had to be a better way. To last more than one year.
But it was quite impossible ‘til Jesus Christ came here.
The reason’s very simple. Each bull or ram or goat
Had to be the sacrifice. The priest would cut its throat.
And as the poor dumb creature gave up the life it had,
The Jews had the atonement for what they knew was bad.
I have a little theory. Perhaps it isn’t true?
That there were far more animals than folk like me and you.
The life of one dumb animal was sacrificed for me!
And every other person the Lord has caused to be.
When Jesus came it ended. He suffered in my place.
He gave His life for every sin, wrong-doing and disgrace,
That we have all committed. His blood is worth far more,
Than everyone who’s ever lived, back to the days of yore.
So they’re no longer needed. The animals that died,
Can never be the equal of the Christ we crucified.
That system is now obsolete. It’s just a waste of time.
No longer can it cover up an accidental crime.
So Lord we want to thank you for all that You have done.
For giving us redemption by the blood of Christ Your Son.
Jim
Strickland
Written
2nd December 2012
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