(96) Two Meals

Genesis 3:1-6

• 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
• 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
• 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 
• 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!
• 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
• 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

The woman, being Eve, saw that the tree was good for food and she ate from it.  After she was deceived by the serpent (satan) she took the fruit of the tree and ate it.  He added doubt to what God had said.  He did not tell the full story.  And because she fell into desire and disobeyed God and listened to satan instead of the word of God, sin entered this world.  Death came.  Disease took hold.  Hair started to fall out.  Skin could now be blemished.  Desires became evil.  Eyesight and hearing became impaired.  Hate entered.  Relying upon our own decisions over God's plan was now impacting all historical events.  When they took this meal the human race died.  All flesh was ruined.

The human race lost its path to God.  Reconciliation was now needed.  People like Noah, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob had faith and God kept them safe in His arms.  But the rest of the human race became slaves to our desires and each generation died more (if possible) than the generation before.  Even God's people, the chosen ones of Israel, eventually succumbed to the evil desires of this world and become slaves to Egypt.  God heard their cries but reconciliation was still needed.  God gave them the Law but they still could not bring the reconciliation by these works.  The human race was still dead.

All because of one meal.

Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-23 (combined)

• While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.”
• And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “Take this and share it among yourselves. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins;
• do this in remembrance of Me.
• Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in My Father’s kingdom.”

Almost 4000 years after Adam and Eve ate from the tree, Jesus Christ came and gave up His life.  His life will be the reconciliation that the human race needed.  His life will give us life renewed.  To undo the damage that Adam did, Jesus came.

To reverse the curse, Jesus added a blessing.  To heal the ruined flesh of the human race Jesus offered His flesh.  To bring back life, Jesus offered His blood.  Because of Jesus the human race is alive again.  The pathway back to God was complete.  The truth by the word of God was given back to man and turned back the deception of the word of the serpent.

All because of another meal.

This meal is communion.  Take and remember His sacrifice.  This Resurrection Sunday remember all that He did for us.

(72) The Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, the day when our sins are forgiven.  On this day the high priest of the nation of Israel would go behind the veil in the Holy Place and perform a ceremony in the Holy of Holies.  Leviticus 23:26-32.

 

• 26  The Lord said to Moses,
• 27  “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Yom Kippur.  Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to ADONAI.
• 28  Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.
• 29  Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people.
• 30  I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. 
• 31  You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
• 32  It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”

It was performed on the 10th day of the 7th month each year. This day was the most holiest day and the most important feast during the Feast of Weeks.   There were four main elements to this feast.

1. The holy ones (God's people) were called together.  God's people were called to the altar to focus upon Him.  God's presence was with them.
2. Denying yourselves means that the people were suppose to humble themselves.  It is supposed to be a day of fasting and repentance.
3. It was a day of offering.
4. It was absolutely a day of rest.  No one was to work, punishment up to the penalty of death.

The high priest would first bathe and wash his whole body and not just the regular ceremonial washing of hands and feet.  This was to show a desire to be completely purified before ADONAI.  He was to wear a special garment of linen instead of his usual robe of color.  He would take a male bull and sacrifice it for himself.  He would place the blood on the Mercy Seat (lid of the Ark) and on the ground beside the Ark.  He then would take a male goat and sacrifice it for the people.  Some of the blood would be sprinkled onto the Ark.  Then the high priest would take another goat and lay his hands on the head.  He would confess the sins of Israel, symbolizing the transference of sin onto the goat, and then let it go.  Our sin would escape with the goat, hence the term escape goat, or scapegoat.  The remains of the bull and goat were taken outside the city to be burned/sacrificed.

 

What does it mean for us?  Hebrews 9-10 is the answer.  This day points to Christ in all ways.  Jesus is our high priest, our sacrifice, our escape goat, our atonement.  Jesus was pure.  He went to the cross not wearing any special garment.  He was stripped of his clothes until all that remained was his undergarments.  The soldiers mocked him and placed a purple robe on Him.  Nothing spectacular, one color, yet one of a King!  Jesus took His own blood, for no one could do this without His will, and it was spilled on the new Ark (Cross) and on the ground, since He was lifted high into the air His blood fell to the ground.  The scapegoat was to show that the sins of Israel were not remembered.  Jesus' death is all about how our sins are forgiven.  Our sin was transferred from us to Him.  But there is a difference here.  The goat was done once each year; it was temporary.  Jesus did this once and for all (Hebrews 7:27).  His sacrifice is permanent.  We are bound by law, but free in grace.  And like the remains of the bull and goat that was led outside the city to finish the sacrifice, so was Jesus (Hebrews 13:11-12), where He said, "It is finished".

 

It is not a day we need to sacrifice anymore since we are now in grace and not held to the law.  But nevertheless it is a day when we need to draw closer to God and remember what His son Jesus did for us, once and for all.  The law brings death and grace brings life.

But, we need to take time to understand this day. The day where all of our sins would be forgiven for the year. The priests would sacrifice a perfect lamb for each one of us.   The lamb my friends is temporary, natural, finite, a vapor in this life. Today we have a high priest who is also the perfect lamb.   But this lamb my brothers and sisters (more than my friends this time) is PERMANENT! SUPERNATURAL! INFINITE! IS LIFE!  He has redeemed us.  He has reconciled us to Him.  Our sins under grace are never remembered for the scapegoat has gone into Heaven and has taken our sins with Him.

 

Remember to thank God the Father today for His sacrifice of His perfect Son and for sending His Spirit to us.

(62)The Books of Philemon and Titus

Two Bold Men.

These two books were written by Paul a couple of years apart from each other.  They really do not have anything to do with each other but since they are short we will study them at the same time. Philemon, whose name means "affectionate", was written first around 61 AD around the same time Colossians was written during Paul's first imprisonment.  He perhaps even wrote those two letters at the same time since Philemon was from Colosse.  Titus was written in 64 AD right before Paul's second imprisonment about 4 years before his death.

Philemon is the shortest book written by Paul.  It is very different than Paul's other letters since most of them were about instructing people how to live and what to watch for.  This one though isn't even a sermon.  It is a plea.  Philemon lived in Colossae, richly so.  Paul wrote this book to remind Philemon about who he was before he was converted; a slave owner (Phil v. 16-19).  And how he was forgiven and that the person Paul is sending him should also be forgiven and received that way. The man's name was Onesimus, who apparently owed Philemon, perhaps stole from him.  We do not know if Philemon accepted Onesimus back as a brother but tradition says that Onesimus became a bishop in Berea.

Titus was a Greek gentile, one of the "uncircumcised" and may have been one of the people that Paul took into the synagogue that got him arrested.  Paul converted this Greek into a Christian.  Titus was sent to Crete by Paul to watch over a church he started.  Seems like he was sent many places.  Crete apparently was an island that had a reputation of being filled with liars and gluttons.  He was to be the head of the church, an elder, if you will, maybe even apostle for he is the one who delivered the letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 7:13-16).  This is why Paul gave instructions of who should be an elder in this letter.  Tradition says he is considered the 1st Bishop of Crete.  Titus was a very zealous man who was undaunted with the way things were and Paul knew he wouldn't back down from any conflict (Titus 1:11, 2 Cor 8:17).  No one knows whatever became of him.  He left for Dalmatia and that is all we know.

Some of the main point sin these books are:

1. God uses even bad situations for His glory (Phil v 15-16)
2. There are guidelines for selecting leaders of the church (Titus 1:5-9)
3. There are guidelines for living our lives as well (Titus 2)
4. God saved us through mercy, kindness, and love (Titus 3:5-8)

Philemon was written to plea for the acceptance of a former slave and his future treatment and should serve as guideline for all of us.  Titus was written to encourage him and instruct the people about the truth of the Gospel that leads to spiritual maturity.  God can not only transform character but He can also change relationships.  Our reconciliation with God should always lead to reconciliation with man.  But it seems like too many of us only try to get the first one accomplished.  This is why we still can't get along with each other.