Centuries before Jesus died on a cross, the Old Testament prophets predicted that the Savior would come as the remedy, the solution for our sinful condition. Spiritually speaking, mankind was desperately ill with no means for recovery. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll continues a message he started last time. In this study, we're reminded that Isaiah prophesied the solution centuries before Jesus broke onto the human stage and changed history forever.
We begin today right where we left off last time. Chuck titled his message, The Remedy for Our Disease. There has not been in the history of man, I'm convinced, no more painful way to die than to be crucified.
But it isn't the physical pain that is the worst part. It was the awful separation that occurred between the Son and the Father when all the sin was placed on the sacrifice. The reason was that he was at that moment bearing all of our iniquity which had fallen upon him. Now, why did he have to do that?
Why was it necessary for that terrible moment to occur? The explanation of the sacrifice takes us way back into the handbook of worship that the Jews used for centuries. The book of Leviticus. Now I want you to crack open your Bible.
Break open those gold leaf pages that you have not yet looked into in Leviticus and find chapter 4. And for a few moments I want us to see some thoughts on sacrifice. In fact, I want to show you four stages that occurred when someone came with a sacrifice to offer before God. And a lot of this will become very clear to you because we haven't ever seen such things.
This is like cutting a new swath. You and I will never witness this scene literally ever again as it was done in those days for so long a time. Because he has been once for all sacrificed for us, never to be sacrificed again. But in those days when a sinner found himself in sin and therefore broken in fellowship with his or her God, it was essential that there be an animal sacrifice. Sometime it was with a goat, sometime with a bull, sometime with a heifer, sometime with a dove, sometime with a pigeon, on occasion with a sheep. And it's all spelled out in this ancient book of worship used by the Jews and carried out by the Levites.
Leviticus has the same root as Levites. Now in this fourth chapter you will see in simple form the process. The first stage, the sinner brings an animal without defect to the altar. Let me read the first three verses. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, if a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done and commits any of them, if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord a bull. Now in this case it's a bull that's to be brought. Let him offer a bull, note carefully, and mark in your Bible without defect.
Without defect. As a sin offering for the sin he has committed. Now it's simple. As soon as you realize there has come sin in your life, intentional or unintentional, priest or common person, whether of the tribe of Levi or any of the other, whatever you realize the sin issue has separated you from fellowship with your God, then you bring an animal.
That's the first step. Not any animal, but an animal that is to be without defect. Second part or the second stage, verse 4 says, the sinner is to lay his hand on the animal. He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull. Now this is the job of the priest, who in this case is the sinner. So he takes his hand and he lays his hand upon the head of the animal.
Now why does he do that? This symbolizes the transfer of guilt from himself to the animal. I don't know how, I don't know why, I can only tell you what God required. The same answer I give for why the choice of the Jews. Not because they were more in number than any people, not because they were better than any people, not because they had accomplished some special work that caused God to look upon them with favor.
No, simply out of grace he chose the Jews. Simply because of God's sovereign will he chose the animal and he chose the laying on of hands. So the animal is brought and the hands are laid on the animal. Now verse 4 continues, the third stage, and slay the bull before the Lord.
So the animal is to be killed. Hold your place right here and look over in chapter 5 verses 7, 8, and 9. If he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned two turtle doves or two young pigeons. One for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. He shall bring them to the priest who shall offer first that which is for the sin offering.
Look at this, you'll never read this anywhere else. And shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he shall not sever it. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering.
Have you ever read anything like that before in your life? Just nip, just nip right at the neck so that there is a sprinkling of the blood and it will be sprinkled on the side and the rest will drain down to the base of the altar. It is also clearly defined so that they even knew how to offer the sacrifice. Before I go any further, I have to say that the key verse in the book of Leviticus is chapter 17 verse 11. So you're still holding on to chapter 4, go to 1711.
This will help make some of it clearer. Why all the blood? Why the animal? Why the altar? Because God stated Leviticus 17 11 that the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. Look at the word atonement. It's mentioned twice. If you divide it into syllables, you will find at-one-ment.
Right? By the shedding of blood, two will be brought as one. This blood will make division now unit, separate now together. It will bring at-one-ment. The Hebrew term kafar, just think of the word cover, cover.
That's the word here. This blood will cover over sin. Atonement is an all-inclusive word that describes in general all that Jesus Christ accomplished by his death on the cross.
Etymologically, atonement is the combination of the syllables at-one-ment, meaning being at one with someone. The original term means to cover, carrying the thought of putting sin out of sight by covering it over with blood. Now back to Leviticus chapter 4. We have the animal brought by the sinner. We have the hands of the priest on the head of the animal. We have the animal slain at the altar and the blood is spilled.
Now the fourth stage, verses 5, 6, and 7 of chapter 4. Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting. And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary. The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the Lord in the tent of meeting and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Don't tell me blood wasn't important. Not only the sprinkling of it, not only seven times, but it will be drained of its blood and that blood will be used in a certain way.
The details of it aren't important to me right now. It's the idea of it. You see, since the earliest days as these Jews connected at one minute with their Lord, there was the emphasis on blood and sacrifices. I mean the sheep that were slain at Passover were slain by the thousands, by the thousands. The blood literally ran from Jerusalem. It was a common sight and the people were witnesses of it.
They realized its importance and it was simply a part of their culture. Think of the treadmill of the priestly job. You who minister today, you know how at times some of our work can become a little monotonous.
To people on the outside, you don't think of it that way. You think ministry just must go from one ecstasy to another, one delight to another, but there are some monotonous assignments connected with the task of ministry, but nothing that monotonous. Just think of killing the animals and killing the animals and pouring out the blood and pouring out the blood. Moffat speaks of the Levitical drudges. Constant emphasis on blood.
You know what? It never took away sins permanently, never. You found relief, you found forgiveness and you went on your way rejoicing only to sin again and to bring another animal and annually to come before the Lord your God and have that sacrifice again reminding you of your sin, sin, sin, sin. That's what caused Luther when he finally turned the corner and began his thoughts on the Reformation. He was literally wallowing in his cell as he could be heard saying, oh, my sin, my sin, my sin, my sin, my sin. Sin conscious, nothing but sin. You have any idea how many people live like that religiously?
That is their frame of reference. No better than those who brought animal after animal and pail of blood after pail of blood just alter after alter after alter. And it never takes away sins until Christ. When Christ died on that cross and poured out his blood, he said, it is finished. Tetelestai, it's over, it's complete, it's done. Once for all, finished. You'll never offer another sacrifice. It's not needed. This finishes the task.
Now that isn't my idea. That's what Hebrews chapter 10 tells us. So before we finalize our thoughts in 2 Corinthians 5, just to look at Hebrews, what a statement this is in Hebrews 10. For the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things can never by the same sacrifices year by year which they offer continually, see the monotony, they can never make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered because the worshipers having once been cleansed would no longer have had consciousness of sin.
That would have done it. You would have walked away and said, praise God, that's it. I'm through with all the animals, through with all the altar, through with all the blood sacrifices, but it could never be said. Verse 3, but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year for it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, meaning permanently. Drop down to verse 10. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never permanently take away sins, but he having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time sat down at the right hand of God.
Isn't that great? He never has to stand, never has to die again. One time the father said, I am satisfied.
How do we know he's satisfied? He raised him from the grave. He brought him back from death. As one man has said, the resurrection was God's amen to Christ's it is finished.
It is finished. That's the death of Christ. The resurrection, amen.
I believe it. I am satisfied. The theological word is propitiated. I am propitiated. I am satisfied. Now the wonderful message of all of this is that if God is satisfied with the death of his son, and if I am in Christ, he is satisfied with me.
I don't have to live under the horror of working, working, working, pleading, pleading, pleading to find favor with my God. Nearer, nearer, nearer I cannot be for in the person of his son I am as near as he. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. This is the declaration of the Savior. I want you to write down six words if you like to take notes on certain points of a message.
Three statements, two words each. The first statement, spotless lamb. Remember those words no defect?
I told you to mark. Here we have this no defect lamb. Verse 21, 2 Corinthians 5. He, God, made him, Christ, who knew no sin.
There's the no defect. There's the spotless lamb. He who knew, he made him who knew no sin. Now secondly write, sinner substitute, to be sin on our behalf.
Remember the laying of hands on the animal? God, as it were, placed his hands on his son and said, the sins of all mankind are transferred to you at this awful moment. You bear those sins, and he did. And he did it on our behalf. That's the wonderful part of this message. He who knew no sin was made sin on our behalf.
Third write, righteousness provided that we might become the righteousness of God in him. I call that great news. Thankfully it is all done.
It is all finished. It is provided for me as a sinner if I will simply come to Christ who has done the work for me. He has taken my punishment and graciously borne it on my behalf. Cliff Barrows, the song leader of the Billy Graham Crusade Ministry, has ingratiated himself to many of us. We love him dearly. He tells a story that I want to pass on to you.
It has to do with his children when they were younger. They had disobeyed. He said, they had done something I had forbidden them to do. I told them if they did the same thing again, I would have to discipline them. When I returned from work and found that they hadn't minded me, the heart went out of me. I just couldn't discipline them. Any loving father can understand Cliff's dilemma.
Most of us have been in the same position. He continued, Bobby and Betty Ruth were very small. I called them into my room, took off my belt, and then my shirt with a bare back I knelt down at the bed.
I made them both strap me with the belt ten times each. You should have heard the crying. For them, I mean. The crying was from them. They didn't want to do it. But I told them the penalty had to be paid, and so through their sobs and tears, they did what I told them.
Cliff smiled when he remembered the incident. I must admit, I wasn't much of a hero. It hurt. I haven't offered to do that again yet. It was a once for all sacrifice, I guess we could say.
But I never had to spank those two children again, because they got the point. We kissed each other, and when it was over we prayed together. Something remarkable happens inside us when we realize that somebody who didn't deserve it took our place and bore the punishment we deserved, leaving us absolutely free and clear. There's something inside the heart of the forgiven that says, I will love that person forever and ever and ever. Now that's what Christ has done for you at the cross.
No wonder John Bowering would write, In the cross of Christ, my glory, towering o'er the wrecks of time, all the light of sacred story gathers round his head, sublime. In order for there to be a relationship with God, we must come to God on God's terms, understanding that we are lost. In order for him to become our righteousness, our perfection, we must be in Christ his Son. That happens by faith, by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. When that occurs, the surgery of the soul takes place. God reaches in and declares us righteous, canceling our debt that has been against us and giving us in turn his righteousness. That comes by our believing in his Son, Jesus.
I urge you to do that now. Let me pray. Father, thank you for making the message clear as we have worked our way through this study. Thank you for giving us Christ and with him all things richly to enjoy.
Thank you for the debt he paid and paid in full on our behalf. Thank you, Father, that we can know your righteousness in our position and a life of righteousness and holiness far different from what we could have ever lived on our own. Thank you for making us right with yourself through faith in your Son. I pray that those who have never come to know you will do so now by simply believing in him, taking the gift that you offer by faith. In Jesus' name, I ask this.
Amen. . If you found your heart resonating with Chuck Swindoll's closing prayer, let me direct you to our website where you can find instructions on how to place your trust in Jesus Christ. Nothing could be more important right now than taking this step toward a relationship with God. So go to insightworld.org. You're listening to Insight for Living. Chuck Swindoll is presenting a teaching series on biblical doctrines called Growing Deep in the Christian Life. Through this in-depth study, I'm sure you've gained a whole new respect for man's depravity and God's role in solving our dilemma. After all, we don't have any reason to hope until we truly face our lost condition. Along those lines, I'm pleased to tell you about a brand new book that's now available through Insight for Living.
It's called Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React. The title comes from a statement that Chuck made, one that's become quite familiar across our country. He said this, Whether for yourself, a son or daughter, or perhaps a grandchild, we believe Chuck's new book will help you gain a new perspective on life, one that's squarely founded on the Bible. To purchase a copy, go to insight.org slash store. And then as God prompts you to support Insight for Living with voluntary donations, we invite you to do so. If you're listening in the United States, you can call us at 800-772-8888.
You can also give online at insight.org slash donate. Cruise ships leave the harbor for Alaska all the time, but there's only one that's hosted by Insight for Living Ministries. You're invited to travel with Chuck Swindoll this summer. Every moment of your vacation is thoughtfully prepared and protected so that you can enjoy the perfect balance of rest, adventure, relaxation, sightseeing, and just plain fun, all in the company of those who share your respect for God's word and God's creation.
Yeah, I'll put it this way. God had a very good day when he created Alaska. I was awestruck by the majestic mountains, the wildlife, the quaint little seaports. All my life, I've wanted to see a glacier.
When I stepped out on the deck of our ship and witnessed the massive wall of ice, wow, it was truly breathtaking. Escape with Insight for Living Ministries to the great frontier, July 1st through July 8th, 2023. Call 1-888-447-0444. That's 1-888-447-0444. Or learn more at Insight.org slash events.
The tour to Alaska is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend. I'm Bill Meyer, inviting you to join us when Chuck Swindoll describes a day when Jesus will return to Earth. That's our topic next time here on Insight for Living. This video is strictly prohibited.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-02-20 22:14:02 / 2023-02-20 22:22:48 / 9