Participants:
Series Code: SSOS
Program Code: SSOS190006A
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00:01 Music...
00:25 Welcome to the Series that we've entitled: 00:28 The Sanctuary, Salvation and our Savior 00:30 and I'm so glad that you joined us in our study 00:33 of the relevancy of the Sanctuary 00:35 pertaining to our Christian experience 00:37 and also, following Jesus in His work from the cross 00:40 to the heavenly sanctuary as our High Priest. 00:44 As we begin, I want to turn our attention 00:47 to this artist depiction... 00:49 this artist portrait of a gentleman 00:51 by the name of Henry Martyn... 00:53 Henry Martyn was a Cambridge scholar. 00:55 He was a genius... 00:56 he had warts covering his face and his hands 00:59 and the story goes 01:01 that he would stay outside of the cricket games 01:03 to watch at a distance 01:04 because he was so ashamed of his appearance. 01:08 Henry Martyn was a genius, he had a brilliant mind 01:12 and there was a name... a lady by the name of Lydia 01:16 who fell in love with Henry Martyn 01:19 because of the mind that he had and the gentleman that he was 01:23 and one day, Henry Martyn was sitting in a church service 01:26 and he heard about India and the need that was there 01:30 for the people that were living in India 01:32 to be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ 01:36 and in that church meeting, 01:38 Henry Martyn heard the voice of God speaking to his heart... 01:42 to be a missionary to India 01:44 and so, he was so excited in his heart... he accepted the call 01:47 to India and then he hurriedly went to Lydia 01:51 and said, "Lydia, let's get married 01:54 and go to India. " 01:56 Lydia sighed and said that if there is one place in the world 01:59 that I never want to go... it is India. 02:02 Henry said, "Lydia, how can you say that?" 02:06 She turned to him and said, 02:08 "I'm sorry but that's the way I feel... " 02:10 and Henry Martyn... as you can imagine 02:13 went back to his room with a heavy heart 02:17 and here was the decision that he had to make, 02:19 "Would it be Lydia or would it be India?" 02:22 Would it be Lydia or India? 02:24 And finally he realized, 02:25 it wasn't between Lydia and India... 02:28 it was between Lydia and God. 02:31 He knelt down by his bed and said, 02:33 "Lord, I surrender all... I give you everything... " 02:37 he made the decision to leave Lydia and go to India. 02:41 One of his associates... Cambridge scholar, said, 02:46 "Henry, you have the whole world at your feet, 02:50 don't throw it away by going to India. " 02:54 Henry Martyn turned to this Cambridge scholar and said, 02:57 "Which world are you speaking of Sir?" 03:00 He went to India and later to Persia... 03:04 he was dragged across the desert in chains 03:07 and died at the age of 31... 31. 03:13 Many people would say, "What a waste of a life... " 03:16 but you know what he left the world before he died? 03:20 He left the translation of the New Testament 03:23 in three different languages. 03:26 When we look at individuals like Henry Martyn, 03:30 we marvel at their dedication and sacrifice 03:33 as though this is something that is abnormal 03:35 for the Christian life, 03:37 here we are in the 21st century, 03:38 I live in the United States of America, 03:41 I'm proud to be American, 03:42 but I live a relatively comfortable life 03:46 and here I am in my comfortable existence 03:49 in Middle Class America, 03:51 part of Middle Class America 03:53 and read stories like Henry Martyn 03:55 and I feel rebuked because 03:59 I sense that we as a Christian community... 04:03 as a community of faith... 04:04 have come so far from the radical discipleship 04:07 and dedication that is our response to the love of God. 04:11 I read a book not too long ago, that's entitled, 04:14 "The Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch 04:16 and I quote from this book 04:18 because here is an evangelical scholar 04:21 that does a penetrating self-analysis 04:24 of American Christianity 04:27 in comparison with first-century Christianity 04:30 and I quote, "I came to the conclusion 04:32 that there must be something about Middle Class culture 04:38 that seems to run contrary to authentic gospel values 04:40 and this is not to make a statement about Middle Class 04:43 per se, 04:44 I myself am from a very Middle Class family, 04:47 but rather to isolate some of the values and assumptions 04:51 that seem to just come along as part of the deal. 04:55 We need to be especially aware of cultural values 04:59 that we take for granted 05:01 because we cannot easily see them. 05:04 I noted earlier that much of this goes 05:06 by the name of 'Middle Class' 05:08 involves a preoccupation with safety and security 05:13 developed mostly in pursuit of what seems to be 05:16 the best for our children. 05:18 This focus is understandable 05:19 as long as it does not become obsessive 05:22 but when these impulses of middle-class culture 05:26 fuse with consumerism as they most often do, 05:29 we can add the obsession with comfort and convenience 05:34 to the list, this is not a good mix. 05:38 At least as far as the Lordship of Jesus, 05:42 discipleship, the gospel, 05:44 and missional movements are concerned. " 05:47 What Alan Hirsch is bringing out is this idea 05:51 that if we're not careful, 05:53 we can allow culture and cultural values 05:56 to fuse with Christianity so that we naturally assume 06:01 that these cultural entities are Christian 06:05 and we live in a culture today in middle-class America 06:09 where there is the tendency to become consumed 06:14 with security and convenience and consumerism 06:19 and when that becomes our ultimate obsession, 06:24 we can be set back in our Christian development 06:29 and our walk with Jesus Christ 06:31 because there are times in the Christian experience 06:34 when God calls us to do things that are not comfortable. 06:38 When God calls us to do things that are not convenient, 06:42 and when God calls us to give up everything 06:46 that we have to follow Him. 06:48 Now I want to make very clear here that... 06:50 that forsaking everything and following Jesus 06:53 is not meritorious, 06:54 we are saved by faith by Christ alone, 06:56 but in response to that love, 06:59 Christ is calling us to radical discipleship... 07:03 radical response to the love of God 07:06 and here is Jesus in the first century 07:08 saying in Luke chapter 14 verse 33, 07:10 "In the same way, those of you who do not give up 07:16 everything you may have cannot be my disciples. " 07:21 Jesus here, in the first century, 07:23 is making a radical appeal for discipleship, 07:26 again this is not meritorious, in other words, 07:28 Jesus is not saying that you give up everything 07:30 in order to "pay" for your salvation, 07:32 but what Jesus is saying... 07:34 in order to be a follower of Jesus, 07:37 you follow the Lamb wherever He goes 07:39 and the Lamb is going where? 07:42 The Lamb is going to the sacrifice, 07:45 the Lamb is going on a sacrificial path in journey 07:49 and Jesus is saying, "Look, if you are a follower of me, 07:53 you will cherish sacrifice... 07:56 you will follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ 08:00 and my fear is, in the 21st century, 08:03 so far removed from the radical discipleship 08:07 that Jesus called His disciples to be, 08:11 perhaps, we have imbibed cultural values 08:14 that we have not been discriminatingly analyzing 08:19 before inculcating into our Christian ethos 08:23 in our Christian community. 08:24 What Alan Hirsch is bringing out 08:27 is that American Middle Class values... 08:30 if consumerism... 08:32 and the obsession with comfort and security 08:36 becomes our number one goal, 08:37 it impedes in our discipleship... 08:40 in our following of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our life. 08:47 Now, we've been going through the sanctuary, 08:49 and here is a bird's eye view of the sanctuary pattern 08:54 that was given by God to Moses 08:57 and we noted that God's plan is to bring us back... 09:00 here in the Most Holy Place, the Ark of the Covenant... 09:03 Adam and Eve had an Edenic perfection 09:06 in terms of every aspect, 09:08 especially in their relationship with God, 09:10 they were able to have a face-to-face communion with God 09:13 but because of sin, 09:15 Adam and Eve were taken outside of the gate. 09:18 The entire human race is outside of the gate 09:21 and God's plan of restoration is to bring us back, 09:24 He wants to bring us into the Courtyard... 09:26 into the Holy Place... 09:28 and into the Most Holy Place 09:31 and the focus of our study today, 09:34 is the Altar of Burnt Offering. 09:37 The first article of furniture that you come to 09:40 in the sanctuary... 09:41 and as we noted in a previous presentation, 09:44 this is where you come and accept Jesus 09:47 as Savior of your life. 09:49 You respond to the love of God 09:51 and you say, "Lord, I want to accept you as Savior of my life" 09:54 and when we are touched by the love of God... 09:58 there is a response that we give to God's love. 10:02 Now, the Altar of Burnt Offering 10:04 was a place where sacrifices took place. 10:07 It was the first article of furniture that you came to... 10:10 it was a brazen altar there in the Courtyard... 10:14 this represented the cross... the place where Jesus died... 10:18 Jesus came and died as the Lamb of God 10:21 who takes away the sins of the world. 10:25 Now, there's another sacrifice that took place 10:28 on the brazen altar 10:29 and this was different than the sin offering 10:32 or the trespass offering. 10:34 This particular offering took place in Leviticus chapter 1 10:38 now, if you're like me and you've attempted 10:40 to read through the Bible 10:42 and the privilege of being a pastor 10:45 is that you get paid to be spiritual... 10:47 and paid to read your Bible 10:48 and I've read the Bible multiple times 10:49 but I remember the first time I attempted to read the Bible, 10:52 I was getting through Genesis and Exodus and it was great... 10:54 then you get to Leviticus and it's like, 10:56 "Oh man! what in the world is going on here?" 10:58 All these sacrifices and rituals! 11:00 In Leviticus chapter 1, 11:02 we have the first sacrifice that is mentioned 11:06 and it is on the Altar of Burnt Offering... 11:09 I want to read about it here in Leviticus chapter 1 11:11 verses 8 and 9, 11:12 "Then the priest, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, 11:15 the head... the fat, 11:17 in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar: 11:20 But he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water: 11:23 and the priest shall burn all on the altar, 11:27 as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, 11:31 a sweet aroma to the LORD." 11:34 Notice that in Leviticus chapter 1, 11:36 in this particular sacrifice, 11:38 it was unique than all the other sacrifices before it, 11:42 they would take this animal into the sanctuary... 11:45 and the Bible is very clear that the entire animal 11:49 was to be burned on the altar. 11:51 In all of the other sacrifices, the priest would get a portion 11:55 or the sinner would get a portion 11:57 depending on the type of sacrifice 11:58 that the sinner brought into the sanctuary, 12:00 but in this particular sacrifice, 12:02 the entire animal was consumed on the altar. 12:06 Now, this burnt offering 12:09 was the most ancient type of offering that was offered, 12:12 it goes all the way back to the book of Genesis 12:15 in which Noah and the patriarchs 12:17 would offer burnt offerings to God 12:20 and this was the nature of the burnt offering. 12:22 Every part of the animal was consumed on the altar. 12:27 Now, if you're like me, 12:29 my natural response to this offering 12:32 is... "What a waste! 12:34 You take a perfectly good animal 12:37 and the priest doesn't even get to get a portion of it, 12:40 the entire animal is burnt on the altar... " 12:43 but you look at God's response to this type of offering, 12:49 the last phrase of Leviticus chapter 1 verse 9, 12:51 "An offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD." 12:57 In other words, 12:58 God's response to this particular type of offering 13:02 in which the entire animal was burned on the altar... 13:05 God didn't think, "Oh, what a waste!" 13:08 God actually thought, "That is sweet... 13:11 that's the best thing that could be offered. " 13:14 He says, "It is a sweet aroma to the Lord. " 13:18 Now, this offering symbolized our surrender... 13:22 and notice how much is surrendered, 13:24 all... 13:26 and God says... when we surrender all to Him, 13:29 he says, "that is sweet. " 13:31 Because that is the love response of every Christian 13:34 that has been touched by the love of Jesus Christ. 13:38 You want to say, "Lord, all to Jesus I surrender. " 13:42 We'll take a short break and when we come back, 13:46 we'll continue in this fascinating study 13:49 of the Altar of Burnt Offering 13:51 in which the sacrifice was consumed on the altar 13:54 a symbol of total surrender to God. |
Revised 2019-10-08