18.893438 21.013438 Well, hello, Sarah.
21.013438 22.893438 Hi, Mary Beth.
22.893438 25.253438 We're flipping the script today.
25.253438 26.613437 We certainly are.
26.613437 29.493437 Keepin' everybody on the edge of their seats.
29.493437 30.213438 That's right.
30.213438 34.613438 Because we're about to dive into a very serious topic. We are.
34.613438 36.413438 Let's have our moment of levity.
36.413438 38.253438 Hey, and it's gone.
38.253438 39.733438 Oh, I've got one for you.
39.733438 40.253438 Okay.
40.253438 45.133437 What did the buffalo say to his son when he dropped him off at school?
47.533438 50.013438 I heard you have a test today.
50.013438 51.933438 That's a good one.
51.933438 55.053438 But no, he said bye son.
55.053438 58.933438 That's a good one.
58.933438 59.933438 Yeah.
59.933438 60.533437 Okay.
60.533437 70.333438 Well, speaking of bison, buffalo, a heard of cattle.
70.333438 74.133437 We're reaching for a connection here.
74.933437 77.533437 We love to connect our banter to our topic.
77.533437 79.333438 I like to eat bison burgers.
79.333438 80.933437 Is that helping us get there?
80.933437 82.333438 Ah, not quite.
82.333438 85.333438 Maybe they probably smell good when they're cooked.
85.333438 86.733437 They do smell good when they're cooked.
86.733437 89.733437 You know what wouldn't smell good when it's cooked.
89.733437 90.733437 Lots of things.
90.733437 91.733437 But what were you thinking of?
91.733437 92.933437 Bison Dung.
92.933437 93.733437 Oh, gross.
93.733437 94.533438 That's nasty.
94.533438 95.533438 It is nasty.
95.533438 98.333438 But that's what we're going to talk about today.
98.333438 100.533438 We're talking about bison Dung.
100.533438 101.733437 We're mothers of boys.
101.733437 102.133437 Uh-huh.
102.133437 103.333438 Yeah, mothers of boys.
103.333438 104.533438 So we talk about Dung.
104.533438 108.133437 We're talking about Old Testament sacrifices.
108.133437 109.333438 Yeah, we are.
109.333438 111.133437 But seriously,
111.133437 114.333438 Mary Beth and I, as you may know,
114.333438 118.933437 dear listeners have been reading through the entire Bible this year
118.933437 120.933437 with people from our church.
120.933437 126.333438 And we've been spending a lot of time reading about all the laws
126.333438 129.933437 and the rules surrounding sacrifices in the Old Testament.
132.133438 135.933437 I am really glad that we don't have to do that anymore.
135.933437 136.933437 Yes.
136.933437 144.933437 It gives a whole new appreciation for how Christ fulfilled the law for us.
144.933437 151.333438 But there are some things we can still learn from looking at how the Israelites
151.333438 156.533437 were required to sacrifice and what those different sacrifices were and meant.
156.733437 160.133438 And in fact, there were five different types of sacrifices.
160.133438 164.933438 We're going to go through them briefly and see what we might be able to learn from that.
164.933438 169.533437 When people think offerings or sacrifices, we usually use the phrase burnt offering.
169.533437 173.533437 And most of the offerings were burnt, but not all actually.
173.533437 179.933438 But the burnt offering is the first of what would be called a voluntary offering.
180.133438 188.733437 And they were used to worship, devote and commit to God, express thanks.
188.733437 195.333438 However, apparently, it was also considered an atonement for unintentional sin.
195.333438 201.533437 In Psalm 19 when David says, but who can discern his head and faults.
201.533437 206.733437 And so these burnt offerings would cover those things that we might not know.
206.933438 211.933438 We may be taking action in our life, but don't necessarily know our motivation.
211.933438 214.733437 Actually, just had a conversation with God this morning on my walk.
214.733437 217.533437 I had done something that sort of wasn't a great result.
217.533437 220.133438 And I was like, Oh, but I did this.
220.133438 224.133438 And then I was like, but God, show me was my motivation good or was my motivation bad?
224.133438 228.533437 So anyway, that was sort of what the burnt offerings are covered.
228.533437 234.933438 And Mary Beth, what types of things would be considered an appropriate and acceptable burnt offering?
235.133438 238.133438 Well, it would be animals only.
238.133438 244.933438 So a lot of birds, pigeons, turtle doves also bulls or rams.
244.933438 251.733437 And there were very specific instructions in Leviticus about what they had to do with the meat and the bones.
251.733437 255.733437 And what they could do with the leftover of the hide and all these things.
255.733437 258.933438 There's a lot of specifics that we will not dive into here, but.
259.133438 266.733437 But yeah, so all the burnt offerings for this specific sacrifice were those animals.
266.733437 270.933438 And they had to be without blemish.
270.933438 272.533437 The best of the best.
272.533437 274.933437 Yeah, that was very important to God.
274.933437 281.133438 But then there were also non animal sacrifices like the grain offering.
281.133438 285.933437 And this is when you would bring the products of your field.
286.133438 289.133438 You could make it into a cake, you could make it into bread.
289.133438 294.933437 It was often accompanied or maybe always accompanied by a drink offering of wine.
294.933437 299.133438 And these were to express Thanksgiving and gratitude.
299.133438 301.733437 I think it's really interesting.
301.733437 310.533437 Because when I read about the grain offering, they're bringing the most delicious, freshly baked bread from the best of their grains.
310.733437 323.333438 The best wine, the best vintage, right? And it reminds me so much of the Lord's supper that Jesus commanded his disciples and us to do and remembrance of him.
323.333438 326.333438 The grain offering was a sacrifice in the Old Testament.
326.333438 331.333438 Jesus was our sacrifice to replace all these sacrifices.
331.333438 334.933437 But yet he said, do this and remembrance of me.
334.933437 336.933437 This is my body and this is my blood.
337.133438 346.333438 You can kind of see maybe what was in his mind as he was even saying those words and giving us those instructions, equating himself with this sacrifice.
346.333438 352.733437 And then you even go from there to the future banquet feast in heaven.
352.733437 357.933437 And you think about how that is also the first fruit or the best.
357.933437 362.333438 All of that is a celebration and thanksgiving to the Lord too.
362.333438 366.133438 So that God just continues that imagery.
366.333438 374.333438 I also remember how Jesus said, I will not drink from the fruit of the vine again until that heavenly banquet.
374.333438 379.533437 So I'm just going to say it's a long time not to have wine.
379.533437 385.133438 Oh, so he's he was saying he's not going to have wine in heaven until the feast.
385.133438 391.533437 That's how I take it. I will not drink from the fruit of the vine. I mean, maybe that means like,
391.733437 399.333438 but no, because he was still in his bodily form, he was just transfigured because he ate with them on the beach.
399.333438 405.933437 But I guess he didn't have any wine. Okay. All right. Add that to my list of questions.
405.933437 410.933437 All right. So then what's another type of offering or sacrifice?
410.933437 415.133438 So there's a peace offering. This is a third voluntary offering.
415.333438 422.733437 And it was the best and unblemished animal again from the herd.
422.733437 426.133438 It could also be various grain and bread offerings as well.
426.133438 434.333438 But this sacrifice, it was for thanksgiving, but it also really embodied fellowship.
434.333438 438.133438 So it was about sharing a meal together.
438.333438 448.733437 We often in Christian circles talk about fellowship meals. And so this would be something that they would have enjoyed together.
448.733437 455.933437 This peace offering. And I like that because you come in peace to eat your food with with other people.
455.933437 461.933437 Again, I'm even just thinking back to the pilgrims and the Native Americans and the first Thanksgiving.
461.933437 465.133438 That's what it calls to mind. Yeah. Absolutely. Peace. Yeah.
465.333438 472.733437 And in the other ones we mentioned, typically the priest is the only one who would eat from these offerings.
472.733437 477.733437 Good point. The peace offering was different because the people could eat it and fellowship.
477.733437 483.733437 Sometimes you see a lot in like Leviticus, they're talking about wave offerings.
483.733437 492.533437 Peace offering is where the wave offering comes in. And what that means is basically there would be specific parts of the animal
492.733437 500.733437 that would be lifted up above the altar. So wave like that was the wave to the Lord.
500.733437 506.333438 And then after the ceremony, the participants in the ceremony were able to eat them.
506.333438 513.933437 So I think also of how priests bless food to make it kosher.
513.933437 520.933437 This to me reminds me of that process that food goes through to become kosher as well.
521.133438 529.133438 Well, and maybe that's a good point to raise is why did these sacrifices need to be made?
529.133438 531.333437 Why were these offerings required?
531.333437 539.733438 So free will Thanksgiving and what they call a vow offering were all considered peace offerings.
539.733438 546.933437 And if you made a vow before the Lord, you would bring an offering with it.
547.133438 552.133438 But as far as your question, why did they have to do this? God commanded them to.
552.133438 554.333437 I mean, that's the simple answer.
554.333437 560.933437 But I believe it was so that they could associate every part of their life with the provision of the Lord.
560.933437 567.733438 And also too this was God's way of providing for the Levites, the priests.
567.733438 573.133438 They received their living from the offerings that people brought to the temple.
573.333437 578.733438 For example, Mary Beth, you mentioned that there were different instructions for the animal hides from the burnt offerings.
578.733438 585.533437 Well, the priests were actually able to take the hides and process them and sell them as part of their living.
585.533437 588.933437 And again, Mary Beth and I are just learning those because we're reading it.
588.933437 595.133438 But if you remember, the Levites were not given a share or an allotment in the promised land.
595.133438 597.933437 Their portion was the Lord himself.
598.133438 608.933437 And so God had a plan for providing for them. They were given cities, houses, and gardens, but their living was to come from the temple.
608.933437 617.733438 And so the food that they ate, the hides from the animals, some of the other things that would be there, they're living.
617.933437 629.933437 Well, and that brings us to the sin offering, which is again, kind of what we might in our default mindset think about in terms of sacrifices and offerings.
629.933437 634.733438 This was mandatory. It was the atonement for the sins of the people.
634.733438 643.933437 And it varied depending on the financial position of the person bringing their sin atonement and offering.
644.133438 648.733438 So if you didn't have a lot, you could bring a female goat, you could offer flour.
648.733438 652.333437 If you did have more, the young bull was brought.
652.333437 658.733438 And so the priests would take these and they, you know, the priests were the intermediaries between the people and the Lord.
658.733438 665.333437 And God required a blood sacrifice for the atonement of these sins.
665.333437 667.733438 And so the priests had to do this regularly.
667.933437 675.733438 It's important to mention too that the different things that were burned, for example, in the sin offering,
675.733438 683.333437 they would burn the entire animal, including the dung, which is why we were laughing earlier at the beginning of the podcast.
683.333437 689.133438 The interesting thing about the sin offering is how it would have smelled. I have to think about this.
689.133438 693.133438 And I only, again, learned this from reading the Bible through.
693.333437 698.133438 So the sin offering was a little different after burning the meat and the bones on the altar.
698.133438 705.333437 They would take the hide and the intestines, the dung, whatever, and burn that outside the camp.
705.333437 716.333437 So if you think about the smell, it would be a reminder of how disgusting God saw our sins.
716.533437 729.333437 And it was removed from the camp. I think the symbolism of that would have been very present to the people because it's engaging your senses.
729.333437 730.533437 Right. Right.
730.533437 735.733438 They're physically taking these animals to offer the sacrifice.
735.733438 740.333437 They're hearing them be slaughtered. They are seeing what's happening to their bodies.
740.533437 745.533437 They're smelling the different smells like you're saying because God cannot tolerate the imperfection.
745.533437 754.333437 So things that represented the impurities in our sin would be burned outside of camp because it cannot be tolerated inside God's presence.
754.333437 762.133438 And I think that one thing that really stood out to me when I read it this time was that when you took a sin offering to the priest,
762.333437 772.133438 you had to slaughter the animal yourself at the foot of the altar. And how difficult that would be,
772.133438 783.333437 but how serious it would be to go, wow, I did this and now this animal, I have to kill this animal because of my sin.
783.533437 793.133438 I mean, that is hard to, it's hard to understand it really is, but God is holy. Right.
793.133438 803.733438 So the burnt offering just as a refresher was for those unintentional sins.
803.733438 809.533437 Those that may not have come to our conscience yet, but still need remission.
809.733438 815.733438 The sin offering was the people bringing forward and offering for the Atonement of their sins.
815.733438 819.533437 But then there's this thing called the trespass offering.
819.533437 821.733438 It was a mandatory offering.
821.733438 825.133438 Things like the peace offering were not mandatory. They were voluntary.
825.133438 830.733438 The trespass offering was a mandatory offering and it had to be a ram.
830.733438 837.933437 And they offered trespass sacrifices as an atonement for unintentional sins against someone else
838.133438 841.933437 that required reimbursement or recompense.
841.933437 849.333437 So it's amazing to me just the distinction between the types of sins required.
849.333437 853.333437 Yeah, the different types of sins. Yeah. Wow.
853.333437 866.933437 It makes me so much more grateful for the sacrifice, the death of Christ and his resurrection that just erased all this.
867.133438 874.533437 Yeah. So it says that the fat portions kidneys and the liver were offered to God from the ram.
874.533437 880.733438 And then those offering the sacrifice ate the remainder of the ram outside in the tabernacle.
880.733438 886.133438 And I do think that that would be one that would have had even a different smell than the other thing
886.133438 890.333437 because you're burning the liver, the kidneys and the fat.
890.533437 897.333437 Yeah, which this is the only analogy I can make when I'm cooking bacon, the fat smells really good.
897.333437 901.133438 It does smell really good. So that would be the pleasing aroma to them. Right.
901.133438 905.533437 But how does how to I mean kidneys and liver are eaten?
905.533437 909.933437 Yeah, it's food. So probably that part smelled good probably.
909.933437 918.133438 So this is all very interesting. And as you know, Mary Beth and I love to take deep dives into all kinds of things.
918.333437 926.133438 Yes, we love we love our research and we love to learn things and bring you along listeners for the journey.
926.133438 933.533437 But as we were preparing for this, we actually had a topic that we had discussed some time ago.
933.533437 938.533437 And that was this concept of defiled sacrifices.
938.533437 947.333437 In Malachi 1:6-9, Malachi brings this word to the people of Israel.
947.533437 951.333437 A son honors his father and a slave, his master.
951.333437 955.533437 If I am a father, where is the honor due me?
955.533437 961.533437 If I am a master, where is the respect due me says the Lord Almighty?
961.533437 969.933437 It is you priests who show contempt for my name, but you ask, how have we shown contempt for your name?
969.933437 974.133438 By offering defiled food on my altar.
974.333437 977.933437 But you ask, how have we defiled you?
977.933437 986.933437 By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible, when you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?
986.933437 992.133438 When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong?
992.133438 996.933437 Try offering them to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?
996.933437 998.933437 Says the Lord Almighty.
999.133438 1006.333437 Now, plead with God to be gracious to us, with such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?
1006.333437 1008.533437 Says the Lord Almighty.
1008.533437 1018.333437 And when I was reading that particular passage in Malachi, it hit home to me that so often,
1018.333437 1027.333437 I'm not bringing my best to the things that the Lord has asked me to do.
1027.533437 1034.133438 I mean, even as a mom, am I approaching, I mean, God has ordained that I be a mother.
1034.133438 1037.133438 Am I bringing my A game to that?
1037.133438 1043.333438 Am I bringing my best self or am I bringing what's left over after I'm doing all the other things that I'm doing?
1043.333438 1047.933438 And am I bringing it thinking, isn't this good enough?
1047.933438 1050.933438 Like, come on, God, isn't this good enough? We brought you an animal.
1051.133438 1058.933438 We brought you a, what does he say in here? We brought you a blind, a blind goat animal.
1058.933438 1063.933438 And God's like, right, I called for the best. I call for perfection.
1063.933438 1073.133438 We know that we can't be perfect on our own, but what's our attitude?
1073.333438 1080.133438 Again, like what is the attitude that I am approaching the Sabbath?
1080.133438 1085.333438 Are we even preparing for that in such a way to bring God our best?
1085.333438 1090.333438 I find that just kind of playing out that example a little bit more.
1090.333438 1098.933438 When I prepare for the Sabbath, I find so much rest and joy and
1099.133438 1104.333438 the good things that I need that God has for me when I obey him in that area.
1104.333438 1113.333438 So even our attitudes as we are going about our day and doing the work that God has prepared for us.
1113.333438 1122.533437 Or even submitting our offering to the church, are we doing it with a grateful heart?
1122.733438 1129.533437 Well, and if you look back to these Old Testament offerings and sacrifices,
1129.533437 1137.533437 the sacrifices for atonement for sins have been taken care of by Christ on the cross.
1137.533437 1146.533437 The voluntary offerings of thanksgiving and peace were not required for atonement.
1146.733438 1155.533437 They were a response of the people and so that's how I think of it in terms of our new testament faith.
1155.533437 1158.933438 None of our sacrifices are for the atonement of our sins.
1158.933438 1165.933438 Any sacrifice that we offer of our time of ourselves of our bodies, whatever it is.
1165.933438 1169.733438 Not physical sacrifice, you know what I'm saying?
1169.933438 1176.733438 Not self-mutilation and all this things. No, like working to help a project at the church or something.
1176.733438 1177.933438 Just to be clear.
1177.933438 1181.133438 It just came out of my mouth and I was like, I got to clarify that.
1181.133438 1186.133438 All of those are a response to what God has already done for us.
1186.133438 1192.933438 And we often get that so twisted that he is still a holy God.
1192.933438 1195.733438 He still has this expectation of perfection.
1195.933438 1201.733438 It's just that we live on this side of the justification that Christ offers us.
1201.733438 1207.133438 And he does view Christ's righteousness when he looks at us.
1207.133438 1211.133438 But what then should our response be? It shouldn't be this.
1211.133438 1216.133438 Well, I'm going to kind of halfway try. I'm going to just do it again.
1216.133438 1217.733438 
1217.733438 1222.533437 What's our attitude? It's the heart that God is after.
1222.733438 1229.333438 Reminds me of 1 Samuel 15 when Saul had gone out and was supposed to
1229.333438 1233.733438 decimate the Malakites and he brought back things he wasn't supposed to bring back.
1233.733438 1239.933438 And he tried to offer them as a sacrifice to the Lord and Samuel says to Saul.
1239.933438 1242.933438 No, like this isn't an acceptable sacrifice.
1242.933438 1249.133438 You can't bring back these animals from the Malakites and expect that the Lord to be pleased with them when he told you to destroy it all.
1249.333438 1257.733438 1 Samuel 15:22 has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as an obeying the voice of the Lord.
1257.733438 1262.933438 Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of rams.
1262.933438 1269.533437 For rebellion is as the sin of divination and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
1269.533437 1272.733438 And this is what happened to Saul because you have rejected the word of the Lord.
1272.733438 1275.733438 He has also rejected you from being king.
1275.933438 1282.733438 So even when they were under this Old Testament rule of sacrifice, God is still teaching them.
1282.733438 1288.733438 It's the obedience that I want. It's your heart that I want. It's your attitude. It's your motivations.
1288.733438 1294.533437 It's not the actual offering and sacrifice that is most important. It's you.
1294.533437 1299.733438 Right. And one of my favorite verses is Psalm 51 16 and 17.
1299.933438 1306.133438 It says you do not desire a sacrifice or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.
1306.133438 1316.933438 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart. Oh, God.
1316.933438 1323.333438 And that has to be baseline for us. Talk about wearing your heart on a sleeve.
1323.533437 1330.333438 We talked about how our faith is a garment the basis for our entire outfit last time with Ashley.
1330.333438 1338.533437 And this broken and contrite heart to me is wearing your heart on your sleeve.
1338.533437 1346.333438 The baseline of our entire life needs to be that broken and contrite heart.
1346.533437 1354.933438 How do we live that out then? I was thinking of Romans 12, 1 and 2.
1354.933438 1360.333438 Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy off your bodies as a living sacrifice,
1360.333438 1366.733438 holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world.
1366.733438 1369.933438 That be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
1369.933438 1374.733438 Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. It's good, pleasing and perfect will.
1374.933438 1381.933438 So that that living sacrifice, this is the way we properly worship. What is the living sacrifice?
1381.933438 1387.933438 It's not conforming to the pattern of the world, but being transformed by the Lord Himself.
1387.933438 1400.333438 And you had just asked, how do we do that? And when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, that was tongues of fire.
1400.533437 1406.533437 The Holy Spirit in my mind is like the refiner's fire.
1406.533437 1416.133438 And in Zechariah, the Lord said, in the whole land, two thirds will be struck down in parish, yet one third will be left in it.
1416.133438 1421.733438 This third, I will put into the fire. I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.
1421.733438 1429.733438 They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say they are my people and they will say the Lord is our God.
1429.933438 1447.933438 The Zechariah 13, 8 and 9. And yes, we, we are refined, but that refining fire can also be had today in our lives now in the person of the Holy Spirit.
1447.933438 1457.733438 That constant companion that we have, the Comforter helps to refine us, helps to make us into a new person.
1457.933438 1474.933438 We talked about hearts of stone and hearts of flesh. We talked about our attitudes and continuing to surrender to the work of the Lord through the Holy Spirit means that our sacrifices can become acceptable.
1474.933438 1477.333438 They don't always have to remain defiled.
1477.533437 1485.733438 Well, and I think that there is still a lot to be taken from the Old Testament sacrifices that God laid out for his people.
1485.733438 1499.333438 If you look at praise and thanksgiving and fellowship and these celebratory sacrifices and offerings, those are the things he still calls us to do today.
1499.533437 1510.733438 Hebrews 13, 15 and 16, through him, meaning Christ, then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
1510.733438 1516.533437 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
1516.533437 1522.333438 So the sacrifices are still there. They're still in place for God's people.
1522.533437 1530.733438 But it's not a burden and it's not nothing has to be killed except their own.
1530.733438 1534.733438 So their own sinful or such, right, die to self.
1534.733438 1540.733438 And in the sermon on the Mount, Jesus also talks about sacrifices.
1540.733438 1549.533437 And I think part of the other way that we can have undefiled sacrifices to make our sacrifices acceptable is what he addressed.
1549.733438 1571.733438 And I think of this as the ministry of reconciliation in Matthew 5, 23, 24, Jesus says, so if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the temple, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar, go and be reconciled to that person, then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
1571.933438 1581.333438 So that is so important for us as believers being that we are that city on a hill, the light of the world.
1581.333438 1593.733438 We need to be held to a different standard and I turning in a sacrifice that is defiled because I have a problem with someone in my life.
1593.933438 1604.333438 Because something I'm doing causing someone else to to stumble or to not see fully the grace and the love of the Lord in my life.
1604.333438 1608.133438 That is a really hard question to struggle with, I think.
1608.133438 1616.533437 And what I would imagine God's intention, well, I can't even presume upon that I'm not going to.
1616.733438 1626.133438 I'm just going to say that probably if I reconcile myself with those around me, the sacrifices that I do offer are going to have a greater effect.
1626.133438 1631.333438 I mean, God's going to use whatever we give 100% but they're going to have a greater effect in my life.
1631.333438 1642.333438 I'm thinking that if I have the right attitude as I give of my time of my resources to the ministries that God has called me to.
1642.533437 1649.933438 That I probably am going to be more at peace about what I'm doing.
1649.933438 1661.933438 I will be understanding for sure that I'm walking in God's way and maybe what I'm doing would just go out into the world and be multiplied.
1662.133438 1677.533437 Yeah, earlier you were talking about how Jesus at the last supper was explaining how his body was now the sacrifice, the blood and the body were the bread and the wine.
1677.533437 1690.133438 And my church in college Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Athens, Georgia, shout out, had a great practice when we would take communion.
1690.333438 1698.933438 Our pastor would give a time in the service before we would take communion and he would reference this passage and he would say.
1698.933438 1713.733438 If if there's something that you have against another person and you need to go and reconcile, do that before you take the Lord's supper and he would give time in the service for people to get up and walk around and talk to each other and make amends and reconcile.
1713.933438 1728.133438 Some Sundays, nobody was getting up some Sundays, a couple of people would sometimes there are just conversations among families in the pews in chairs, aisles, whatever you want to call it, but it was a very powerful reminder that.
1728.133438 1741.333438 God is a God of reconciliation and that that not only helps us approach communion in the Lord's table with a right motive and heart posture.
1741.533437 1757.533437 That it's also a corporate act of sacrificing ourselves, like making things right and living in that way and it was it was really powerful just to have that be part of our church's rhythm, but that came to mind when you brought that passage up.
1757.533437 1766.933438 It's interesting. You brought that up and now it's my turn to give a shout out to my church growing up. York's Corner's Mennonite church in Wellsville, New York.
1767.133438 1775.733438 We had the same kind of thing we didn't do communion often it was actually think like quarterly or every other month or something like that.
1775.733438 1796.333438 But before we did in the weeks leading up to it the pastors and elders would visit, it was a small church country church here so you know it's putting context that they would visit with each family and ask that question are you ready to take the Lord's supper and we always paired our communion with footwashing.
1796.533437 1809.733438 So it was very interesting tradition but really meaningful it was not to be taken lightly right and I don't ever take communion lightly but I do it a lot more now.
1809.733438 1819.933438 And I think that's fine I mean there's I'm not here to to say which is right or anything like that but it's interesting that we both had that experience as young people.
1820.133438 1833.533437 Of that ministry of reconciliation in conjunction with the receiving of the body and the blood of Christ is a sacrifice very interesting.
1833.533437 1837.933438 Well and you've kind of been talking about this idea of
1838.133438 1864.733438 making sure our sacrifices are not defiled and I think that was the intention behind my pastor's heart was he cared about our hearts right and he didn't want us to be presuming upon the Lord's grace from a wrong heart posture which I think is how we too should think about walking and living as living sacrifices. now it's not,
1866.733438 1874.133438 Oh look what I can bring to the altar look what I can do for God, it's not this kind of attitude it's.
1874.133438 1884.333438 It's the broken and contrite heart that acknowledges the great work that Christ has done for us and our response to that is.
1884.333438 1890.533437 To offer our bodies is living sacrifices to offer words as a sacrifice of our praise all these things.
1890.733438 1904.333438 It is more here am I Lord send me then what can I do for you yeah which is essentially almost the same thing but it's not right.
1904.333438 1915.733438 There are a lot of things I've noticed this like every single other aspect of my relationship with the Lord there are highlights when you are a parent.
1915.933438 1937.533437 There are things that can look the same to the outside world if you're not a believer if you don't have the Holy Spirit in you my actions could look the same but God looks at the heart and he knows what my motivation is and he knows what my sin is.
1937.733438 1967.533437 And sometimes it's a really fine line between what am I doing from a pure perspective versus what am I not because as Paul says our sin is always with us it's always waging war there's so many so many layers to this yeah I know and I just now i'm thinking more about parenting and how our goal is not to make our children obey our goal is to foster a desire in them to be obedient
1967.533437 1990.533437 To the Lord right and so they're not obeying us they're obeying the Lord like it's it's not do as I say of course I say that all the time but um yeah I mean it's they're also not disobeying us they're disobeying God the Lord yeah and it's it's this free kind of step back that.
1990.733438 2011.333438 Yes they are disobeying me but really this is just the sin and rebellion in their heart and taking the attitude though does take some pressure off but also helps you point your child more towards Christ right and how the sacrifice that he made the once in final.
2012.533437 2037.933438 To end all be all sacrifice for our sins is so central to our lives studying these old testament sacrifices and thinking about having to slaughter your own sin sacrifice you send offering or just the smells and the aromas that would constantly be in the camp or the continual work of the priests of.
2038.433438 2058.833437 Offering these sacrifices this society was based on this you could not escape the fact that you were a center you just couldn't so true cause you smelled it you heard it you saw it you eat it you had to take your animal up exactly you couldn't just not do it right you had to do it.
2059.633438 2078.833437 Paul talks in the new testament about taking part in the death and resurrection of Christ in our bodies and so that is a reminder much like the all encompassing sacrificial system that was in Israel.
2079.633437 2094.833437 That would be a reminder to us and I don't know that I really am constantly reminded of my sin and constantly remind me this is not poopoo on us and we're so bad and what a worm am I but it's.
2094.833437 2102.033437 Understanding deeply with every fiber of your being.
2102.633437 2110.633437 That you're only only only saving grace is Christ is like the he's the reason why yeah.
2110.633437 2113.033437 And.
2113.033437 2125.833437 That's why things like confession are so powerful for us naming our sins bring them to the light all these things are part of what we've been talking about because.
2126.733438 2135.933437 What was on the other side of the sacrifices for the people of Israel then they were viewed as innocent before Lord that's right reviewed as perfect they were acceptable to him.
2135.933437 2143.333437 And that's that's what we have too. we have the same freedom we have we have even more access than they did we do and.
2143.333437 2152.233438 When God looks at us when he looks at you you who are listening to the sound of our voices right now.
2152.833437 2164.733438 When God looks at you he doesn't see a sinner he doesn't see insert whatever label that you are society has given yourself.
2164.733438 2170.833437 He doesn't see that he sees a beloved child.
2170.833437 2175.733438 Who has been saved into perfect grace.
2175.733438 2178.633437 That's how he sees you.
2180.533437 2183.933437 Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ sacrifice.
2183.933437 2188.333437 And just the beauty of.
2188.333437 2194.333437 His word that we can trace these things and see how he wrote the whole picture.
2194.333437 2198.033437 Wrote the whole picture wrote the whole story.
2198.033437 2201.833437 It's not a mixed metaphors here but I mean I think you can.
2201.833437 2205.533437 He drew the picture he drew he drew the story.
2207.133437 2214.333437 But it's I would say it's also beautiful to look back on your own life and see how that is true as well.
2214.333437 2218.233438 Our Ebenezer journals are our God wink journals.
2218.233438 2220.633437 Yeah, just recounting to each other.
2220.633437 2225.733438 Well, this has been an amazing conversation Mary Beth.
2225.733438 2232.133437 It has all of my favorite things in it research the Bible you God.
2232.133437 2233.333437 Wait a minute. Hold on.
2233.333437 2235.133437 Am I elevating you above?
2235.133437 2237.733438 Okay, please don't.
2237.733438 2242.033437 Listeners, thank you so much for joining us today.
2242.033437 2245.233438 We hope that you enjoyed this discussion as much as we did.
2245.233438 2251.133437 Until next time, keep on keeping on and keep yourself in the word.
2251.133437 2257.533437 I'm Sarah and I'm Mary Beth and this is Trustworthy.
2257.533437 2258.793500 [BLANK_AUDIO]