The Ultimate Sacrifice

Hebrews 13:12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 

This is Memorial Day Weekend. We are thankful for those who died so that we can worship like we are this morning, live free and pursue whatever we believe God wants us to do.

It is sad fewer are taking advantage of this freedom and we are in danger of losing much of it.

We talk about those who die defending our country as paying the ultimate sacrifice. All through National Cemeteries this weekend the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts have gone in and placed American Flags on the graves of those who served their country and have died.

Out of love for America and family and our freedoms they left their homeland to keep us safe and defend freedom or to assist others in their battle to be free.

Some of my friends and family have a burden to fight against human trafficking in these days. I was told by Laura, Pastor George's wife a week ago yesterday that There are tens of millions of people trapped in various forms of slavery throughout the world today. Researchers estimate that 21 to 36 million are enslaved worldwide, generating $150 billion each year in illicit profits for traffickers. 

In this Land of the Free and Home of the Brave today we have freedom due to the selfless acts of those who laid down their lives for us.

We have freedom Christ because He gave Himself up for us.

1. The Old Covenant was not effective due to Unbelief.

Hebrews 3:18-19 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. 

Hebrews 3:12-14 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 

It is a battle until the end.

Some have turned away from God.

Sin is deceitful. Very deceitful.

Hebrews 7:11 If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn’t have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek. But since it didn’t get the job done, there was a change of priesthood, which brought with it a radical new kind of law. There is no way of understanding this in terms of the old Levitical priesthood, which is why there is nothing in Jesus’ family tree connecting Him with that priestly line. 

The Old Covenant did not do what it was intended not because there was anything wrong with it, but because of the human failure in obeying it.

2. The New Covenant is in place and addresses sin head on.

Hebrews 4:12 God means what he says. What He says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what. 

It came to a head when Jesus died such a horrible unspeakably painful death for us.

3. Bulls, Goats and Lambs provided temporary relief.

Hebrews 10:4-7 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offeringsyou were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’” 

Hebrews 7:15 But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy: Jesus, a priest like Melchizedek, not by genealogical descent but by the sheer force of resurrection life—he lives!—“priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.” The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturity. Another way—Jesus!—a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God, is put in its place. 

The law showed us our need of Christ.

Galatians 3:23-25 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 

4. Christ Jesus Made the Ultimate Sacrifice.

Galatians 4:4-7 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. 

Hebrews 7:27 Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered himself. 

He gave Himself up for the church.

Think of what He left.

Think of where He came.

Think of when He came.

The fulness of time.

In History.

What if here and now. Tele Communications

He sacrificed Himself.

The life He led.

The death He experienced. 

Place of a Skull/ Place of death Blood shed but sacrificial place was much blood. This ended all that.

5. It was for Our Freedom Christ Died.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 

freeborn

in a civil sense, one who is not a slave

of one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted

free, exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation

in an ethical sense: free from the yoke of the Mosaic Law

Freest person in the world: "The freest person in the world is one with an open heart, a broken spirit and a new direction in which to travel. 

Gordon MacDonald.

*Sins forgiven Debt paid in full, guilt gone, home in heaven, light traveler

*Ready for anything the LORD has

*Following Him

*Traveling light, Pilgrim's Progress- burden laid down.

Young Lady with Teen Challenge at ShopRite last evening:

I had a heroin addiction. God delivered me through the program. I got my family back, my self respect back... The LORD has made me new again. "I'm free!"

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Lessons From The Eagle

Job 39:27-30 Does the eagle soar at your commandand build its nest on high? It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is its stronghold. From there it looks for food; its eyes detect it from afar. Its young ones feast on blood, and where the slain are, there it is.” 

Interesting words from God's Word.

Here in America...

The eagle had represented power and majesty for thousands of years before John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and our Nation's other founding fathers chose the bald eagle as our national symbol in 1782. Then as now, the eagle represented 'a free spirit, high soaring and courageous.' Moreover, the bald eagle has always been uniquely American, found only on our continent. At the time the Republic was formed, the bald eagle was common in North America, soaring through the skies over its timber-bordered lakes, streams, and coastlines. Perhaps as many as 25,000 lived in the continental United States.

Eagles love a the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm s winds to lift it higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

These verses teach us lessons.

1. The LORD is in Control.

Look at the question the LORD asks Job.

I have enjoyed watching the birds in my backyard and the geese out front as they raise their broods.

That is the message in these verses to Job. God is in control. Man is not. Any time man thought he was disastrous dictators have arisen, wars have been launched, acts of terror committed.  

There are reasons He chose the Eagle to illustrate this.

A fascinating bird but much more...

Promises of God made with it in mind.

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

Exodus 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 

But the bottom line here in this talk about nature and in particular the eagle is that Job has no say in these matters, how much more in wanting to present His case before God. We can fast, pray, plead and even promise God if He does this or that we will...  God is in control. 

Psalm 115:3 Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him. 

The problem with Providence.

The pleasure of Providence.

There is no explanation of why Job suffered so. That is God's intent. We simply are not given such information.

Job was not to know

God was concerned about him.

As we look at Job as a whole we can conclude that there are some things about human suffering which the LORD cannot possibly explain to us without destroying the very purpose which they  were designed to fulfill.

Job's faithfulness to and love for  God was being put through the fire and he came forth like gold!

In the end of suffering we come to know God is control and we can rest in Him alone because sometimes things happen to us that defy explanation .

2. The Eagle Builds Its Nest On High

Home that is protected, safe.

We need to make our homes safe. Build it upon the Rock,  make it hight and holy, elevated above the world. Pray for our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

We need to make our churches safe. I am not talking about fire alarms or snow removal.... I am talking about Sound Doctrine. The high place of God's Word. I hear what people are listening to today and its no wonder there is so much despair. The lifestyle of the Master is so violated by false teachers.  Few ralize that their lifestyle subtly influences their doctrine.  

3. In Darkness It is Kept Safe by the Stronghold.

As Job discovered dark days will come, they will come to all of us.

God wants to us to be build a stronghold around us.

He wants us to dwell in the protection of His Wings and Refuge.

David lived in the stronghold in En Gedi for years. Photos

The LORD and His Word are our stronghold.

The eagle from building its nest high, along with its eye sight...

4. It has a vantage point for searching for food.

Bald Eagles eat mostly fish, a favorite food. Other foods include: ducks, snakes, turtles, muskrats, rabbits, frogs, fawns (baby deer), mice, snails, other birds, vulture vomit, and carrrion. 

It can travel at a speed of 75-99mph, to a height of 2,400 feet and can see a rabbit two miles away!

There is food in our sight, right before us, easy to access, in our hands!

We have daily bread given to us by the LORD on our tables and for our souls.

5. Its position allows it see things afar.

The prophecy of scripture 

 

2 Peter 1:20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 

The discerning heart. Things present/ things to come.

Let's take lessons to heart today. We need them for the times we are in.

Songs In The Night

Job 35:10-11 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, Who teaches us more than He teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’ 

Songs in the Night

Book by that title

We know that some of the most beloved hymns were born out of great pain and suffering.

It is interesting, is it not, what suffering begets? - Gene Edwards

Pain is a common emotion we all share. Most people, by the time they are 40, have experienced loss or deep trouble. Some experience it much younger. 

Life is fragile and trouble can come in a moment that effects the rest of our lives.

It is described in Job by Elihu as "night". A time of darkness. A time when fear is easily aroused. Night is a time when our imaginations are the most active.

Night is a time when we do not see things clearly and yet a time when our pupils are wide open. It is a time when we are to rest but that if we are restless we think and experience things that are much less frightening in the light.

1. Nighttime is something all of pass through

Everybody's Got Something By Robyn Roberts

St. John of the Cross- The Dark Night Of The Soul

Poem and a Treatise

A time when we are drawn closer to God through pain, darkness, difficulty.

"You can have some strange thoughts at midnight"- Martin Luther King

It is something we all pass through but when we are in it we often feel, "No one knows what I  was going   through." There is an element of truth to that if we insert the word "exactly' before "what". But there is enough common ground in the night where although we cannot know precisely we do have the experience and therefore we can help another.

Going through the valley of the shadow of death

Lewis struggles profoundly with despair after the death of his wife, Helen Joy, in 1960, after only three years of marriage.

"... Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be — or so it feels — welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?

I tried to put some of these thoughts to C. this afternoon. He reminded me that the same thing seems to have happened to Christ: 'Why hast thou forsaken me?' I know. Does that make it easier to understand?"

Going through the valley of the shadow of death. The three words David uses: valley, shadow and death all indicate dark times. The all indicate a lack of light upon the individual. 

C.S Lewis' words point out something that I have shared with you many times. A person in pain needs people near by. We must carefully chose the words we speak, even when it is the Word of God. What we think they need may be taken differently by the person in pain. Often our perspective of what they are going through is not correct. 

Take a baby crying. You can change him, feed him, burp him and find at he end of it he is still crying. You can even say, "I have changed you, fed you, and burped you." All that is true. But what that baby may need more than anything else is to be held close and that is all. We forget often that a newborn came out of a secure and quiet place into a world wide open and noisy. They left a temperature of 98.6 and are now experiencing a whole new set of conditions. 

Often what is needed is to be held close and a lullaby sung and that restless baby wll relax and fall asleep in our arms.

So God comes with... 

2. The Songs In The Night

Beautiful

Heavenly 

Heaven Sent 

God is the Author

He furnishes them

He inspires them

God gives songs in the night.

Spontaeous. I have spoken to  those (and I am also oen of them) who have heard songs in our hearts when in deep grief. Beautiful words and music. I remember these coming frequently and I would write them down. Many of our hymns were formed that way.

Anyone can sing in the day. Whistling, humming, 

God is the subject of our songs in the night.

Psalm 42:8 By day the Lord directs his love,at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life. 

Psalm 77:6 I remembered my songs in the night.My heart meditated and my spirit asked: 

Psalm 119:62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. 

Songs in the night show our courage, faith and love..

Martin Luther says, “The devil cannot stand singing.”

One of the things we learned through Job is that words did not help him in the least. What if his friends had sang to him?  My brother, Mark, went to be with the LORD 16 years ago this week. Many people sent cards, flowers, spoke to me.

One of the things I remember so clearly is a  small group of people coming from our Haitian Church which met in our building at the  time. They came in and Pastor Kuidio said, "We bring condolences." Then they sang. They sang in beautiful Creole. They sang softly right into my heart and soul. I can still feel the peace in the midst of pain. God gives us songs in the night.

3. The Lessons Learned in the Darkness

There is little we can do about it if anything

One step at a time

His Word lights our path and feet.

Lamentations 3:22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. 

Psalm 103:10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 

Trust God.

Continue to do good.

1 Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 

Revelation 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 

There is no telling what God might do. So often we have written off things and even our own lives then He steps in!

Are You Hungry?

Proverbs 16:26 The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on. 

Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. 

Message: Appetite is an incentive to work; hunger makes you work all the harder. 

Hunger is a safeguard for laziness. 

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” What a difference that would make in our nation if we would abide by that once more.

This morning we are talking about spiritual hunger. I love how Job ties them in. I love how Jesus tied them in. 

John 4:32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 

John 6:32-35 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 

In all these instances the LORD is showing how much more important is spiritual food over physical. 

He taught us to pray for our daily bread. We need it. But the greater need is for spiritual food. Interesting that the flesh often rules over the spirit. We will eat well and not make time to take in the Word of God like we should,

1. Are we hungry?

*For Righteousness

For it matters not how much we own;

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

Woman at the Well

Spiritual Thirst

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

For His Word

Amos 8:11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water,but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD."

We are there now.

2. Are we hungry to see God work?

*Souls saved

*Miracles

Last week: I am glad you brought pictures to back up those stories you told. They were pretty far fetched.  If you didn't have those pictures I would have asked, 'What is this guy trying to pull?'

There are no doubt more hymns and spiritual songs written that we do not know about than the ones we do. God continues to give music to His church. Last Sunday at Pastor George's church- he has written all the music they do. we sing some here Home in My Heart/ Keep on Believing

Think about the way hymns have found their way into our hymnal and lives... many were shared with one person like Jospeh Scriven did with his mother and then it got out... What a Friend We Have in Jesus!

Books the same...

Flowers too! Picture

Traveling Missionary Soccer Team- Tito Rivera

3. Is our hunger working for us?

work/labor/appetite 

Press

We need to purposely ask God to use us, make ourselves a daily living sacrifice!

Exodus 29:38-39 “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. 

Urge

Proverbs 19:27 Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. 

Bend

Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be broken.

The End of Time

It is coming.

Romans 8:22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 

Giving Birth... increases as the time gets closer.

Earthquakes, Volcanoes.

Job 24:1 “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?Why must those who know Him look in vain for such days? 

Judgement Day is Coming1

Nassau County Executive yesterday "Children of All Abilities" What a great perspective. We need that mindset. We need to see ever soul as eternal. We need to realize that God has us crossing paths with them so we can share His love. 

We need hunger for God's Word, Time With Him, Sharing Our Faith, Seeing People come to Jesus.