If you would like to receive this bulletin sent weekly to your email then send a note to the email address above.
OF AND FOR Leviticus 16: 5
On the day of atonement two goats and a ram for a burnt offering were to be taken OF the children of Israel and offered FOR the children of Israel. One goat was killed and his blood made atonement for the children. The other goat had the sin of the children laid upon him and bore their sin away--unto a land of separation. Both were but one offering, typical of the one offering made by Christ Jesus the Lord whereby he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. The burnt offering with its smoke rising up typified God's acceptance of Christ's well-pleasing sacrifice. But notice that the two goats and the one ram were taken OF (from among) the congregation OF the children of Israel. And they were offered FOR the children of Israel to make atonement FOR their sin. This is significant. The sin-offering, being taken only OF the children of Israel and offered only FOR the children of Israel declares the ONENESS made between God and his chosen children of promise IN Christ Jesus.
Of The Household of God
The congregation typified here is the household of God. God is the Father. Christ Jesus is God the Son. All the elect of God make up the family of God, the congregation of the children of Israel. The Lord Jesus is the Firstborn Son of God, the elder brother of all God's children. God promised Abraham that God's sin offering would be chosen OF the children of Israel. Christ THE SEED was coming through the lineage of Abraham, the true household of God (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3: 16.) Through Christ, God promised Abraham that he would have a multitude of sons and daughters, God's elect "children of promise." Not all are of the household of God. Remember Abraham had two boys but Isaac was God's elect child of promise, Ishmael was not; Isaac had two boys--Jacob (Israel) was God's elect child of promise, Esau was not. Even among the Gentiles, the chosen of God, redeemed by Christ, are counted as his children of promise (Romans 9: 8; Galatians 3: 7, 29, 29.) God chose THE One who would offer himself. He made satisfaction FOR the sins OF his own household (Hebrews 2: 11-17; 3: 6.)
For the Children of Promise
The confidence and hope of every born again child of God is that Christ is our full acceptance with God. In time, in Adam, in our flesh, our sin separated the children of promise from God. Yet our sin never altered God's purpose of grace because before time God put his children of promise in Christ. And because the children were flesh and blood, Christ took part of the same. God was not satisfied by the goats and the rams, but a body God prepared. Christ came in that body. The sin offering was taken OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. He was willingly made the sin we are, offered himself to God FOR US, and made us the righteousness of God IN HIM. When the Spirit of Christ enters into each child of promise he makes us to rejoice that we are AT ONE with God IN CHRIST. Our Savior perfected the will of God in making satisfaction for the children of promise (Romans 8: 3, 4.) Christ Jesus, the one offering for sin, faithfully accomplished the work of reconciling his people to God. The full acceptance of the children of promise by God has always been in Christ. All our hope is in Christ. Soon, each child of promise shall be gathered together in Christ (Read Ephesians 1: 1-14, noting the words "in Christ, in whom, etc.") This is our confidence and our hope of rejoicing which we hold firm unto the end.
The Sure Effect of This "Of and For"
The Pharisees and Sadducees were kinsmen according to the flesh with Paul, with the same scriptures, using the same name of God, but they would not walk with Paul because they were not OF this family and Christ's sacrifice was not made FOR them. Only the Spirit of God makes this mystic sweet communion through the truth of Christ. Yet, every one in whom Christ dwelt joined themselves with Paul because they were children of promise. Through Paul they heard THE VOICE of their Father and their Redeemer which never fails to unite our hearts in love! (Romans 12: 5; Ephesians 4: 1-5.) No matter the measure of grace given to the believer, each one follows one voice and a stranger we will not follow. We rejoice that we are fully, freely, forever accepted in the Beloved. Our confidence for needy sinners, as well as our fellow brethren, is that through the same good news, through the same power of God's Spirit whereby we were called, shall each child of promise be born anew and grown in grace. Therefore, we deal mercifully with sinners and with one another's grave clothes which we each still bear. It is all because of these two little words "OF and FOR."
SERMONS After clicking on the following links you will go to sermon notes where you will find an option at the top of the page for the audio.
Older
Top
