Why Don't Religious Jews Sacrifice Animals Anymore?

Why don't religious Jews sacrifice animals anymore? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of Core Christianity. Hi, it's Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

And we certainly get some interesting ones. You can call us right now with your question. Here's our phone number.

That's 1-833-843-2673. We also have social media sites. You can post your question there and watch Adriel on YouTube. We have a YouTube channel. You should check it out every day at 1130 a.m. Pacific time. You can peek into our studio and see what he's up to. And you can also post your question on our—or email us a question at questionsatcorechristianity.com.

Whatever method you use, we'd love to hear from you. First off today, let's go to Robin calling in from New York. Robin, what's your question for Adriel?

Okay. My question is, how do you ward off a witch attack or actually am I under witch attack? Because I grew up—I learned that if you don't believe in witches, they can't harm you. So—but I have a daughter who's constantly doing witch attacks with me. Like, for instance, my hair has started falling out. I'm like, Lord, thank you—I plead the blood of Jesus.

I don't believe in you, divine spirit. And—but yet, my hair is still falling out. And today, I just went to the bathroom. And the other day, she was saying—because I babysit her kids—she was saying that she was going to get them.

It'll be soon, so. Robin, thanks for your question. So, how do you ward off witch attacks? What I would say is, you know, I think sometimes we can overcomplicate things when we think about spiritual warfare as Christians.

Two things I would want to emphasize to you, Robin. If you are in Christ, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, then the Spirit of God lives in you. He who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. Which is to say that the evil one doesn't have any power or authority over you. God is the ultimate authority. And Satan bows to God. You think of Jesus when he was walking around, you know, during his earthly ministry, the demons coming out of the woodwork, crying out to him, you know, what have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? You know, they're terrified of Jesus because they know that he's the Son of God.

They know that he has authority. And so I think the first thing that I would want to emphasize is, look, if you belong to Christ, if you are in Christ, if you're trusting in Christ, then the evil one doesn't have power or authority over you. And the way in which we engage in the spiritual battle is by being filled with the Spirit. That is, letting the Word of God, letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, by faith.

Prayer is also key. You think of what the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6, verse 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And so one encouragement for you, Robin, is maybe read Ephesians 6, 10 through 20. Pray through that text and stand in Christ and in faith against any sort of spiritual attack.

It sounds to me like there's some conflict in your family. I want to take a moment to pray for you right now and also to pray for your daughter and for her salvation. And so let's pray for our sister Robin.

Our Father in heaven, we come before you. I lift Robin up to you and I ask God that you would be with her, that you would strengthen her, Lord God, by the grace of your Spirit to stand against all evil. But to stand in Christ, looking to you, trusting in you to be nourished by your word, Lord God, that whenever she feels under attack, she would open your scriptures and she would read them and pray. We pray for her daughter as well, Lord God, that you would do the work that only you can do in freeing her from the grips of the evil one. God, with whatever spiritual attack, whatever demonic forces are at work in this situation, Lord God, I pray that through your precious Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the power of your Holy Spirit, you would bring peace, freedom, deliverance, and strength and hope in your gospel.

Would you be with Robin and her family? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Robin, thanks for your call. We'll continue to pray for you in that whole situation. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adrian Sanchez. We'd love to hear from you if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, something going on in your church that you're either confused about or concerned about. We're always happy to take questions on church life.

Maybe you're dealing with some kind of theological or doctrinal issue. You have a question there. Feel free to call us at 833-THE-CORE.

Our phone line will be open for the next 20 minutes or so, 1-833-843-2673. Let's go to Tim in Arkansas. Tim, what's your question for Adriel? Hello, can you hear me? I can hear you, Tim. Okay, well thanks for all you guys do.

I appreciate you guys. Listen, you know, we argue over abortion and things like that, and pro-life, and we're created in the image of God, they say. Then why do we have to be conformed or strived to be conformed to the image of God?

That's an excellent question. So if God created us in his image, and each and every one of us are created in the image of God, according to Genesis chapter 1, this is one of the ways in which we argue for human dignity, the fact that we're all to be cared for and respected, and life is to be cherished. A lot of people who don't believe in God and who reject the idea of being made in the image of God still kind of hold to this idea that we should be respectful to one another and that human life should be protected. Of course, many of them might say, well, I'm in favor of abortion, but once a person's born, then we should protect them. There are laws against murder.

We as Christians would say, no, the child in the mother's womb is made in God's image, is a human person, and so that life should be protected as well. Your question is, given that we're made in the image of God, why do we have to be renewed in Jesus Christ after the image of God? Excellent question.

The reason is because of the fall. When man fell into sin, all of us, every part of us was affected by sin. It doesn't mean that sin is the essence of humanity, part and parcel with what it means to be human.

That's not the case. Sin is actually the foreign thing that has come in and has corrupted our nature. Christ, the image of God, we might say, the second Adam came into the world to renew and restore our fallen natures.

He perfectly obeyed the law of God, was righteous, and through him and through faith in his name were justified. We, fallen as we are, are renewed in the image of God because of the fall, because of sin. Two passages to consider in this regard that highlight this. Colossians 3, verse 10, where Paul said, You have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. There is this renewal there in the image of God. Then Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 23 and 24, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

What is it that's being renewed? It's that true knowledge. It's that righteousness. It's that holiness that we lost as a result of the fall. We didn't lose the fact that we're image bearers. Everybody, whether they're Christian or not, is an image bearer. They bear the image of Almighty God, but we don't reflect him like we should.

We don't have holiness, righteousness like we should, and so Christ came into the world to restore fallen humanity so that in him and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we might be renewed to be what we were meant to be, to be truly human. And so there's your answer. Brother Tim, thank you for reaching out to us, and may God bless you. Good counsel. Thanks for that, Adriel. Appreciate that.

And Tim, thanks for your call. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. You may not know this, but our friend Adriel is now a published author. He has a brand new book out called Praying with Jesus. Yeah, I'm excited about this book, and I mean, my prayer is that it is an encouragement for you and that it helps you in your prayer life. I know so many Christians struggle with prayer for one reason or another, and so we need help. And certainly, I mean, I think of the disciples. They went to Jesus and they said, Teach us how to pray. Of all the things they could have asked him, you know, for help with, the fact that they say, Teach us how to pray, I think is really instructive for us. They know how important prayer is. They knew how important prayer was, just looking at the life of Christ. And so prayer is so important for each of us as Christians to develop that habit of daily prayer.

And I hope that this book helps you with that. Again, it's called Praying with Jesus, Getting to the Heart of the Lord's Prayer. This would be a great resource for you or your family or perhaps your Bible study. You can get a copy of Praying with Jesus for a donation of $25 or more at corechristianity.com forward slash offers. That's corechristianity.com forward slash offers. Just look for Praying with Jesus.

By the way, you can also call us for any one of our offers at 833-THE-CORE. We do get voicemails here at CORE Christianity, and here's one that came in from one of our listeners named Viola. I have a question, Pastor Sanchez. I had an encounter with a Jewish woman not long ago and innocently I asked, So what do you think about Jesus?

And she said, He was just a man and he died. I read the Torah. Since some Jews don't believe that the Messiah has come, are they yet doing animal sacrifices?

I'm just curious. Thank you. God bless you.

Hey sister, the answer to that is no. They're not still doing sacrifices, which is, I mean, when you think about it, considering everything that you have in the Old Testament, in the book of Leviticus and so forth, you know, the prescriptions with regard to sacrifices and atonement for sin, it really does pose a serious problem. And the reason why they're not doing sacrifices is because the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 70 AD, just like Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24.

And so there's no longer any place for sacrifice, for those sacrifices of atonement to be made. And by the way, this was prophesied in the Old Testament. This was going to happen in Daniel chapter 9 verses 24 through 27. 70 weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness to seal both vision and profit and to anoint the most holy place.

And then it goes down a little bit further, speaking about this one who brings desolation. He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half a week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering, and on the wings of abomination shall come one who makes desolate until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. So you have this picture here of a putting to end of sacrifices and offering associated with this coming one who's going to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, and that's precisely what we believe our Lord Jesus did, what he accomplished. And this is why the author of the Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 10 talks about that once for all sacrifice that's been accomplished for us, for our forgiveness, for our redemption. He says in verse 11, Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he is perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And so look, there are no more sacrifices like the ones that you find described in the book of Leviticus because the temple has been destroyed, but even more importantly, there are no more sacrifices because the once for all sacrifice for sin has been made. And so the sacrifices pointed forward to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ and to go back to the sacrificial system would be to reject the redemptive work of Jesus. That's actually what the book of Hebrews is all about. And so I'm grateful that you had this conversation with your friend, and maybe there's a door there to be able to talk about the importance of atonement and Christ, who wasn't just a man who died, but was the Son of God who died and then rose again from the dead for our sins, perfecting all those who trust in him by the grace of the Holy Spirit and through justification. And so again, appreciate that question and may the Lord bless you. And as we see in Revelation, the perfect lamb that was sacrificed for our sin, just it's amazing. I know you've gone through the book of Revelation and talked about that in some of your sermons. Absolutely.

Yeah. Every week I preach that gospel message. So, amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

Here's an email that came in from one of our listeners named Scott. He's in Iowa and he says, I'm a truck driver with an irregular schedule. I work Sunday through Thursday. I'm from a small town with only a few churches and none with services on my schedule. I'm 61 and a bit long in the tooth to switch careers.

What do I do? One major denomination has a service on Saturday, but I'm not sure I should go to that one. And if I can't attend until I retire in five years, where do I tithe? To Core Christianity.

Just joking. Look, you need to be, Scott, in a solid church. And you're right. You can't wait five years before you get plugged into a church.

And so what are your options here? Yeah, maybe. I mean, Saturday if there's a service and the Word of God is faithfully preached and you can get community there.

I think that that's one option. I do think that there's a reason why the church gathers on Sunday, the Lord's Day, the first day of the week. There's theological significance there. So I always say we ought to gather together on the first day of the week with other believers to celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. I don't know how your schedule works. I don't know if there's an option for a change in schedule. It sounds like maybe you have some seniority there.

And maybe saying, look, I need to find a way to get plugged into a church on Sundays. I don't know if I can pick different days where I'm doing my truck driving route. I don't know. But I would always say that that's something to consider. And maybe that means you have a schedule that's not preferable to you.

Maybe you have to work more hours or maybe you don't get to work as much. I don't know. But there needs to be a priority on gathering together with the saints to worship the Lord. And for many people I think, and granted that there are some jobs that can and just by necessity pull you away from Sunday from time to time, but I think a lot of people are willing to let their jobs get in the way of the fact that we're called. Called by God himself to worship.

And so I just want to encourage you and maybe challenge you here. Either, one, get plugged into that church on Saturday. And the main thing is if the word of God faithfully preached here. But two, maybe even to say, look, maybe there are some sacrifices that I can make here in my schedule, in trying to free things up, so that I can prioritize gathering with the people of God for worship.

And some of you as you're listening to this might think, okay, is that too much? I mean, what's the big deal? You know, we don't go to church. We are the church.

I don't know how many times I've heard that. Well, look, yeah, we are, I mean individually you're not the church. You are a Christian and you're a part of the church. But as those who are a part of the church, you're called to go to church.

You're called to be a part of a local church where there are other believers, where you can be under the ministry of the word, where you can be encouraged. And in fact, you know, this is something that's emphasized in the New Testament. I think in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 24, let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

In other words, as time goes by, we need to emphasize this. We need to emphasize that encouragement that we receive from the body of Christ gathering together, not just on the Lord's day, but certainly on the Lord's day. And if we don't have that, then to a certain extent we're compromised spiritually and we're not prioritizing things the way we ought to be. So I do, you know, I sympathize with your situation.

I know people who are in situations like this. And so I just want to take a moment to pray for you, Scott, and just ask the Lord to open up the doors here for you and for all those who are looking to get plugged into a church but aren't able to because of work. Father, please open the door for our brother Scott who longs to fellowship with your people but is having a hard time doing that right now because of his work schedule. Lord, would you change things in his work schedule or would you open the door for him to find a good church that maybe meets on Sunday nights or Saturday evenings or something?

Lord, whatever. But in order to be with your people and to be under your word and to grow together and to find a place, Lord, where he can give the resources that you've blessed him with, Lord, to the work of the gospel, to the ministry of the local church, God, be with our brother, grant him wisdom, and open these doors for him. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Scott, thanks so much for your call and for your heart and your desire to get plugged into a local church, and we pray that that will happen soon.

This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Mitchell calling in from Iowa. Mitchell, what's your question for Adriel? Hello, this is Mitchell.

I love listening to your program on the radio. I had a question for you, and can you hear me? Yeah, I can hear you, Mitchell. My question is, does a Christian ever get tired of hearing the gospel? Is it possible for a Christian to ever get tired of hearing the gospel? That's a great question, Mitchell. You know, I was saying earlier on the broadcast that I preach the gospel every Sunday.

At least I hope I do. I mean, that's what I focus on through the text of Scripture, through the whole canon of Scripture, getting to the cross. And the reason for that is because Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 that it's the message of the cross where the power of God lies, crossless preaching. Preaching without the gospel is impotent. It might be able to gather a crowd, it might have great advice, good historical anecdotes, and so forth, but in terms of raising us from the dead, forgiving our sins, uniting us to Christ, what we need is gospel preaching, but not in a way that's dry and just sort of hearing the same thing over and over again. No, I think that there are so many different facets to the gospel, to the beauty of the gospel, that we should be bringing out as we proclaim the word of God. And, you know, for us as Christians, I think the reality is none of us really adore the gospel, if I can put it that way, the way we should. We take it for granted, frankly. And so that's something we all struggle with, and we should pray and say, God, help that message, the message of the fact of what you've done for me to redeem me, to forgive my sins, but to grant me new life also, and to enable me to follow you by your Spirit in the hope of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Help that good news never to lose its luster in my life. Because I think for Christians, we can struggle with that, Mitchell. I think we can for one reason or another. Sometimes it's just because, you know, we are maybe going through a season of sin or doubt, and those truths, those precious truths that we find in Scripture, they just become clouded to us, to our minds. It might just be because we feel like, oh man, I've heard that over and over again, I've sort of moved on from it. And I do think that there are ways in which pastors can maybe preach the gospel week in and week out that don't highlight, you know, the various facets of the beauty of the gospel and apply it specifically in concrete ways to the people.

And so I think, you know, there's an area here where we as ministers, as pastors, can make sure that we're doing a good job highlighting just how magnificent the gospel is. But I would say, yeah, Christians can, and I'm saying this sinfully, right, we can sinfully tire of hearing this news. But that's just a part of the dullness in our own heart. I was just talking about the book of Hebrews earlier, and that seems to be the problem, what was taking place with the Christians that the author of the Hebrews was writing to. They were drifting away from what they had heard.

In particular, they were drifting away from the message of the gospel. Listen to what the author of the Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1. 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, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will. All of us could take heed to that. Let's pay closer attention to what we've heard, that we might adore God and cherish the precious message of the gospel. God bless you, Mitchell. Thanks for listening to Core Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, go to corechristianity.com forward slash radio, or you can call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. When you contact us, let us know how we can be praying for you. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's word together.