Would you join me this morning
in the Gospel according to Numbers? The Gospel according to Numbers
chapter 6. To me it's such a blessing to
be here. It's good to see everyone. We pray God's blessing upon you,
those who are listening to us through Zoom and those who will
listen to us on sermon audio. The sixth chapter of the book
of Numbers. This chapter, we're going to
break it into two pieces, two parts. The first part we hope
to deal with today, and that is the subject of the Nazarites. And the second part begins with
verse 22 and goes through verse 27. And that covers the great
benediction that the Lord gave to Israel through the priests. I'd like to read verses one through
21 here of the book of Numbers chapter six. And in this chapter,
we're going to hear the word Nazarite six times. It is the
subject of this chapter, and I want to say up front that this
vow that was taken was not imposed on anyone. It was a voluntary
vow. We're going to find in here that
it could be for a day, a week, a month, a year. That was your
choice. Now, we as Gentiles were never
invited to do this. It was only towards the Jews.
That's who's being spoken to. And there are a number of things
that are listed in here with regard to this vow that was taken. But number one, remember it was
voluntary. Verse one, the Lord spake unto
Moses saying, speak unto the children of Israel and saying
to them, when either man or woman shall separate themselves to
vow a vow of a Nazirite, to separate themselves unto the Lord. He
shall separate himself from the wine and strong drink, and shall
drink no vinegar of the wine or vinegar of the strong drink,
neither shall he drink any liquor of the grapes, nor eat moist
grapes or dried. All the days of his separation
shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the
kernel even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his
separation, there shall be no razor come upon his head until
the day be fulfilled in the which he separated himself under the
Lord. He shall be holy and shall let the locks of his hair of
his head grow. All the days that he separated
himself under the Lord, he shall come at no dead body. He shall
not make himself unclean for his father. Notice this, not
even your father. If you've taken this vow, you're
not even to go to the father's funeral, or the mother's funeral,
or his mother, or his brother, or his sister when they die because
the consecration of his God is upon his head. All the days of
his separation he is holy unto the Lord. And if any man die
very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his
consecration, Then he shall shave his head in the day of his unclean,
unclean, uncleansing. On the seventh day shall he shave
it. And on the eighth day shall bring two turtles, turtle doves,
or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation. And the priest shall offer the
one for a sin offering and the other for a burn offering. And
make an atonement for him for he, that he sinned by the dead
and shall hallow his head that same day. And he shall consecrate
unto the Lord the days of his separation, and shall bring a
lamb of the first year for a trespass offering. But the days that were
before shall be lost." So everything up to that point is gone. You start over. If you have touched
a dead body or one died in your presence because his separation
was defiled. And this is the law of the Nazarite.
When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought
unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and he shall
offer his offering unto the Lord, one he lamb of the first year
without blemish for a burnt offering, and one you lamb for the first
year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without
blemish for peace offerings. In a basket of unleavened bread,
cakes of fine flour mingle with oil, and wafers of unleavened
bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering and their
drink offerings. And the priest shall bring them before the Lord,
and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering. And he
shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord
with a basket of unleavened bread, and the priest shall offer also
his meat offering and his drink offering. And the Nazarite shall
shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of
his separation, and put it in fire, which is under the sacrifice
of the peace offering. And the priest shall take the
sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake of the basket,
and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands
of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven.
And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the
Lord. This is holy for the priest with the way breast and heave
shoulder. And after that, the Nazarite
may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazarite
who hath vowed and of his separation unto the Lord for his separation. Beside that, that his hand shall
get according to the vow which he vowed. So he must do after
the law of his separation. Now, in conclusion, Thank you,
Lord. We're not there today. Amen.
Thank you, Lord. That is a lengthy reading, but
I just wanted to read it to share one more time how valuable it
is not to be under law. and how valuable it is to be
under grace. Now, this actually happened and
there were people that actually took this vow. We find that this
chapter deals with so many things about a Nazirite and there's
used six times in that verse of scripture the word Nazirite,
but the first time in the Bible that this particular Hebrew,
word is used is in the book of Genesis. So I'd like to go back
to the book of Genesis chapter 49 and see here as this word
is translated and we'll soon realize that we're right in the
middle of Jacob's will to his 12 sons. Now Jacob didn't necessarily
have to write all this down. He was capable in this last days
of his life to talk to each of his sons and he told them what
they will be like the rest of their life. He told Judah, scepter will not
depart from you. And he's going to tell one son
here in this section of scripture in Genesis chapter 49, beginning
with verse 22. We're just going to read a few
verses here. Chapter 49 of the book of Genesis and there in
verse 22, Joseph, Joseph remembered what happened
to him, what his brothers did to him, what a type of Christ
he is. To be sold by his brethren, to
be taken down to a foreign country, and there to keep himself. Now, the mercy of God was upon
Joseph so much as we find witness through his life. To keep himself
from all of those, potential tragedies of his life. He was
cast into prison, but he was there by a divine appointment.
He was there and he was at the right time when someone had a
dream, and on and on it goes. Well, we find here now towards
the end of Jacob's life, he mentioned this about Joseph, and this word
Nazarite is in this verse of scripture, but it's not translated
that way. In the book of Genesis chapter
49 there in verse 22, Joseph is a fruitful bough. even a fruitful
bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers
have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him." Who's
that? But, this blow of Bowden's strength,
his bow of Broden's strength and his arms, his hands were
made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob from whence
is the shepherd, the stone of Israel. even by the God of thy
Father, who shall help thee, and by Almighty, who shall bless
thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep
that lieth under, blessings of the breast and of the womb, blessings
of thy Father, have prevailed above the blessings of thy progenitors
until the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall
be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of his head, and that
was separate from his brethren. That word separate is where we
get the word Nazarite. So when we look at a Nazarite,
we're going to find that they have separated themselves. Now,
as we look at this, we find that a Nazarite, Jesus Christ was
not a Nazirite. He was from Nazareth, and he's
called a Nazarene. But there are several things
that Jesus Christ did that immediately took him out of being a Nazirite. He drank wine. He touched dead
bodies. He raised dead bodies, in fact,
He became dead for us. So He is not a Nazirite, but
these Nazirites are pictures of our Savior, the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus is pictured in all of these activities that
these Nazirites did that they were separated for. The vow was
voluntary. We'll look at that in just a
moment with regards to the Lord Jesus. A believer in Christ Jesus
does not take a Nazirite vow. When we are saved, we're not
taking a Nazirite vow, but the Lord separates us. separates
us from the world, but also separates us from the things that we were
attracted to and attached to in our religious life. He separates
us, takes us out of that position that we had voluntary entered
into, but we also now, by the grace of God, enter into a voluntary
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ after he gives us a new
birth. Before that, we can't rise above
the brim of the cup. We can't get above our own natural
position. But after we've been born again,
he causes us to voluntarily separate ourselves under the Lord Jesus
Christ and for what he stands for. We are given a new view
about things. Would you turn with me to the
book of Romans chapter 1? Romans chapter 1 shares with
us with regard to the Apostle Paul, and he does this for every
one of his believers. Everyone that God saves by his
grace, everyone he acquaints with the Lord Jesus Christ in
the new birth. We find here in the book of Acts
chapter 1, this very subject is brought up. It says, Paul,
A servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle, now notice
that word, separated unto the gospel of God. Now that's what
God does for his people. He separates us unto the gospel. He separates us out of what we
once believed and brings us and separates us to the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a wonderful thing that
God does for us. He separates and now turn with
me just a little bit further there in the New Testament to
the 2nd Corinthians chapter 6. We find here again how God separates
his people. how he separates us from the
world, he separates us from what attracted us to things in the
world before we were saved. He is not just passive in this,
he is very sincere going to act upon this in the covenant of
grace. In 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14, Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers? For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? Now, this is really sharing with
us when it comes to the gospel. We're not going to be going after
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and then agree with the
gospel of this world. It cannot happen. We cannot go
along with the gospel of the world. We cannot go along with
the gospel of the Galatians. that the Apostle Paul wrote about.
We cannot go along with, oh, works is okay. This is okay. We are separated by God Almighty,
by the gospel, and in the gospel, and we cannot just tolerate this.
Now, you and I are going to have friends. We're going to have
family. We're going to have neighbors.
We're going to have people all around us that don't believe
the gospel. I have some good friends that
don't believe the gospel. But I cannot agree with their
gospel. I cannot agree with works gospel. I cannot agree with gospel that
has some kind of works in it. I cannot agree with putting the
church first and then Christ. I cannot agree with that. When
I first moved to this area, I was invited about six or eight times
and then it dropped off and over the years it finally never came
back. I was invited to join a ministerial association here in town. I couldn't
go. I couldn't agree with what they
were agreeing on. And finally I said, the only
thing we can agree on is bologna sandwiches and I don't like bologna
sandwiches. We cannot, we're separated from
that, we're separated. Now, we may visit with them,
we may have them in our home, we may have dinner with them,
we may invite them out, we may send Christmas cards to them,
we may give them gifts, but there is something we cannot do if
we're true believer in Christ Jesus and that is agree with
them if they are not holding forth the word of life. Just
can't happen. Goes on here and says, In the
book of 2 Corinthians 6, what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God, and God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk
in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore, come out from among them and be you separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I'll receive you."
What is the unclean thing? The unclean thing is that which
is not the gospel, that which is not Christ. There's no hope
and no salvation in the unclean thing, but there is only hope
in Jesus Christ the Lord. This, as he goes on, says, I
will be a father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty. So he provides everything that
is necessary. He takes away all the things
that were so circumstantial and needless and everything else
and supplies himself in his place. So we're not left wanting. We
have more than we ever thought we would have. We're not left
out. We're included. We're not going
astray, we're being brought to the shepherd and high priest
of our profession. We have somebody that has an
interest in us far greater than anybody has ever had an interest
in us. Well, we find that there's always
been, down through the ages, there's always been those people
that could be identified, Even in the worst of times, in the
most degenerate state of Israel, we can always find some that
held the truth according to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know, one of the saddest books of the Bible to me to read,
and yet is one of the most glorious, is the book of Lamentations.
Read through there and hear that preacher, that prophet mourn
over the state of Israel, mourn because of what they're doing
and following after, mourn about their kings, mourn about this,
the priests. Well, Bill, would you turn with
me to the book of Lamentations, Chapter 4? And in the midst of
this most degenerate state of Israel, Religiously, politically,
however you want to look at it. Because in the midst of this,
we find here in the Book of Lamentations, the Lamentations of Jeremiah. Sometimes I have to remind myself
of that so I can find it. Right after Jeremiah, the Book
of Lamentations, Lamentations chapter 4, and there in verse
7. Lamentations chapter 4 and verse
7, it says, ''Her Nazarites were purer than snow, What's he saying? There's still some that hold
forth the word of life. There are still some that understand
that they are the bright and shining light among a dark place. Her Nazarites were purer than
snow. They were whiter than milk. They
were more ruddy in body than rubies. Their polishing was as
a sapphire. This is what God done to them.
Now notice their state in the physical world. Next verse. Their
visage is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets.
Their skin cleaveth to their bones. It is withered and has
become like a stick. From a spiritual standpoint,
they're whiter than snow. From a spiritual standpoint,
they're following the master. From a spiritual standpoint,
they are more ruddy than body within rubies. They're bulky
in Christ. They're boastful in Christ. But
in this world, they've been cut off and they look like a stick. How glorious is it that even
in the most degenerate state in any place in this world, where
one of God's lost sheep is, somebody is going to come along that knows
something about the gospel, even in the state of great sadness
maybe, in a state of great poverty maybe, but they come with the
gospel which is sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. They
bring the gospel and God uses that to bring his people out
of darkness to his marvelous light. Again, in the Old Testament,
we have a Nazarite mentioned. It's in the Book of Amos. Amos
Chapter 2 and verse 11. When I was in religion, a young
kid, I had to learn the books of the Bible. You know, it was
God's purpose, because that helps me find them today. It was required
to pass a certain... Amos chapter 2, verse 11. And
I raised up your sons for prophets and your young men for Nazarites. It is not even thus, O ye children
of Israel, saith the Lord. But now, this is what was done
to them. But he gave the Nazarites wine
to drink and commanded the prophets saying,
prophesy not. You know, there's always been
this real push to compromise the gospel. I know you're a Nazarite,
but won't you have a drink? I know you're not supposed to.
I know you believe the gospel, but isn't it okay to believe
this? Isn't it okay? What about your
parents? I had a young man ask me the other day, don't you mourn
over your parents? I says, I can't mourn because
God does all things well. I'm sorry. I wish they had been
believers, but they were not. And I'm not going to dress them
up. They were not believers. Anybody that will tell me that
their brother went to heaven because he did good works does
not know the gospel. My mother argued over the doctrines
of grace. My grandmother argued over the
doctrines of grace. My grandfather got mad at a preacher
because he brought the doctrines of grace. They didn't have anything. Free will, degenerate, everywhere
else in the world. Gospel doesn't work. I'll never
forget that trip I took to the Panama Canal, and I was asked
to speak. Every day, we had a Bible study,
and I was asked to speak, and everybody in there, there was
about 15 varieties of religious beliefs in that one room, and
the only thing that they could all agree on, and they voiced
this, is that man has a free will. Well, once the Lord saves
you, you realize you don't. We can go through life believing
that very thing, and people do. But once the Lord saves you,
you find out you didn't have a free will. You agree with God
when he said, I looked down from heaven and I could not find anybody
that would seek after me. You say, yes, and I was in the
mix of that, and I didn't have a free will because I wasn't
looking after you. I was looking after a place where I could get
pats on the back. I was looking after a place where
I could feel good. I was looking after a place where
everybody else was in agreement. but I was not seeking after God.
Now, the Nazirite was a type of Christ. This is the true meaning
of this passage of scripture over in the Book of Numbers.
Christ was not a Nazirite, where we have just mentioned that he
did drink wine, he touched the dead, he raised them up, and
he even tasted death. He made no such vow to be a Nazirite. The verse of scripture that is
often taken and used is when he was down in Egypt as a very
young child, as a babe. He was told of an angel came
to Joseph, says, ''Get out of here.'' They seek the young child's
life. ''Go down to Egypt.'' What was
that for? That the scriptures might be fulfilled. That's why
he was down in Egypt. The appropriate time came, Herod
died, and the angel came and says, ''Go back.'' Now, if you'd
look with me in the book of Matthew chapter 2, Matthew chapter 2,
we find here that he was called a Nazarene, which would have
been logical. What do they call us if we're
from the Dalles? The Dallesites? In the book of Matthew chapter
2, the Lord was not born in Nazareth. But his mother and his stepfather
had their home there. That's where they left from when
they went to Bethlehem. And as soon as all that happened,
they were told to get out of Dodge and they spent some time
down in Egypt. I'm sure that Joseph made his
living by being a carpenter down in Egypt. But he sent home here
in the book of Matthew, chapter two and verse 19. The scriptures
share this about that very subject. Matthew chapter 2 verse 19, the
scriptures share this, but when Herod was dead behold an angel
of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying arise
and take the young child and his mother and go into the land
of Israel for they are dead which sought the young child's life
and he arose and took the young child and his mother and came
into the land of Israel But when they heard that Achilles did
reign in Judea, in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go thither. Notwithstanding, being warned
of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee,
and he came and dwelt in the city called Nazareth, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, he shall
be called a Nazarene. He was from Nazareth. Now, the
significance that we find in the Old Testament in chapter
6 about being a picture and types and shadows of our Savior is
that they spoke about what they could not eat, could not drink,
and then there was something else. They couldn't touch a dead
body. And did you notice the other thing that they had to
do? They had to let their hair grow. All the time they were under
this. And as soon as their vow was fulfilled, they had to have
their hair cut. And they had to have their hair
burned. And then they started back with baldness until it grew
out again. I don't know what Christ's hair
looked like. I don't know how long he wore
it. I'm not going to get into that discussion. All the pictures
show about how long it was, but that is 400 years or 500 years
after the fact. We do have some busts of people,
sculptures of people that lived during that time, and they all
had hair that's about like mine. So I'm not going to get into
that. But I do know this, Jesus Christ drank wine, and I do know
this, he touched dead bodies. So he's not a Nazirite, but those
Nazirites were picturing something about him. You know, when we
look at the hair of the head, it's like a crown. In fact, over
in the book of 1 Corinthians, it's talked about as being a
crown, the crown of a woman. And when we look at this subject,
we find out that when we look at the crown of the Lord Jesus
Christ, he never, ever gave up his crown of glory. He always
had this glorious crown that was given him before the foundation
of the world in eternity past. I use those terms. I still don't
know how to deal with it. I said it before the foundation
of the world in eternity past. He has always had his glory. It was resounding. The angels
bowed before him in his glory. He created the heavens and the
earth in his glory. He walked upon the face of the
earth, pre-incarnate, up to Moses, up to Abraham, up to Adam, up
to others in the Old Testament, Joshua, in his glory. He never
had it removed from him by any man. In fact, we read this morning
there in the Book of John, no man took my life from me, but
I laid it down of myself that I might take it up again. He
did not have his hair shorn in this metaphorical sense. He always
was in his glory. It was always the most beautiful,
beautiful crown. If you'll turn with me over to
the book of Revelation chapter 19, we find this passage of scripture
stands out with regard to our Savior, the Lord Jesus. Matthew
chapter 19 and verse 11. It tells us in this wonderful
passage of scripture as we see the Lord in his glory. Now, this
is not future, this is today. This was yesterday too. This
was 1,000 years ago. This was 2,000 years ago. This
is 6,000 years ago. This same scene to all of God's
children has been the same throughout eternity. He has not altered
his glory. He has not become lesser or greater. He has always been the same. In the Book of Revelation Chapter
19, whenever he comes to his elect, this is how he is. This
is what he looks like. He's not wringing his hands trying
to get us to do something. He doesn't act like that. He
doesn't work like that. He's in command. He is the captain
of our salvation. He is the Alpha and Omega of
our faith. He is the beginning and the ending.
He's everything. And here in Revelation chapter
19 and verse 11, he's sharing with us, he did not give up his
glory. Those Nazarites were a picture.
They let it grow until it was time to have a cut. Their vow
was over. But Jesus Christ never had that happen to him. They
were a picture, and a type, and a shadow. Revelation chapter
19 and verse 11, the scripture says, ''And I saw heaven open,
and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called
faithful and true.'' When has it not been those words about
Christ? Adam could say, ''I knew he was
faithful and true.'' He was in power. He was on a white righteousness
exuded from him, all powerful and in righteousness. He does
judge and make war. Who could say that happened just
now or in the future? That happened to Abraham. That
happened to Moses. That happened to Jonah. He saw
him this way. His eyes are a flame of fire.
His head were many crowns and he had, what is that? every nation
under earth is there by permission of this one who has crown of
every nation. He had a name written that no
man knew but he himself. It's wonderful that that name
is going to be revealed though. His name is revealed to his elect
in regeneration. We don't know him, but we revealed
him. He was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood. What's that? My goodness, that's
him purchasing his people from their sins. And his name is called
the Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean, and out of his mouth go the sharp sword. that
with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a
rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fiercest
of the wrath of Almighty God, and he hath on his vesture and
on his thigh a name written." I'm thankful for the translators
here that they did justice to that name. They made it quite
apparent. They enlarged the type. They
capitalized it and said King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. How powerful is that? And that's
how he appears to everyone that he has ever given salvation to.
All powerful, righteous. He has brought redemption to
his people. He rides with authority. It is
his word that goeth out of his mouth. It is by it he slays the
nations. It is by it he slays people.
It is his word that brings us to our knees. I am God, and beside
me there is none else, and all of your foolishness is nothing."
Christ voluntarily separated himself to the work of redemption.
In the council halls of eternity, he voluntarily said, I'll be
the lamb. voluntarily took that responsibility
upon himself to be the redeemer of the people that God has chosen
in Christ before the foundation of the world. He voluntarily,
and as we heard read and we just mentioned there in the book of
John, no man takes my life from me. If ever an opportunity arose
that he could have demonstrated that he was in the hands of men
and not he having them. It was that night when Judas
came up to him and says, I've got a secret to tell you, Lord,
and kissed him and identified him. You know, they didn't know
Jesus and Jesus. Those people have been around
him for those three and a half years. He had been around people
for 33 and a half years, and they couldn't see Jesus in Jesus. They could not see the Son of
God. And when Judas identified him,
Jesus Christ said, whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of
Nazareth. And he just used two words, I
am. And everyone that came after
him was licking the dust. They did not take him. He gave
himself to them to do as was according to the scriptures.
Christ voluntarily went. 12 years of age when he's in
the temple, he tells those doctors of the law, well, he told his
parents, his mother and stepfather, I must be about my father's business. He knew what lay ahead of him.
In the book of John chapter 8, would you turn there with me
to the book of John chapter 8, as we see those Old Testament
Nazarites were types and shadows of the true one, the Lord Jesus. He never was a Nazirite. He was
from Nazareth. He was a Nazarene. But all that
they did to themselves and all their voluntary work and all
that they did was a type and a shadow and a picture of this
one who was coming at that time. For us, he has been here and
we anticipate his coming again. Here in the book of John chapter
8 verse 29, John chapter 8, and there in verse 29, we read these
words. And he that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone. For I do always those things
that please Him. I voluntarily give myself a ransom
for many. I voluntarily take this oath
upon me. I will fulfill all the requirements
of the Old Testament. I will fulfill all of the requirements
of the law. I will fulfill all of those things
that even those Nazarites had to go through. I'll fulfill every
bit of it and I will not bring any of that out and charge it
to my people once I pay for it. I always come to do my father's
will. And over in the book of Hebrews chapter 10, in Hebrews
chapter 10, we have this other wonderful passage of scripture
about the ministry and work of our Lord as he fulfilled the
types and shadows and pictures of those Nazarites. They come
up to the priest and say, I want to be a Nazarite for a day. The
priest didn't mock them. All right. Be a Nazirite for a day. Another
one comes, I want to be a Nazirite for a week. I'm going to set
myself aside as a Nazirite for a week. Okay. I'm going to do
it for a month. Someone comes along and says,
I'm going to do it for a year. And as they go along, someone
falls dead right on them. They go to the priest and have
to go through and perform all of that stuff and start over. You know, with our Savior, He
never had to start over. He knew exactly what He was going
to do from the very beginning. But when it's a man, gotta start
over. Here in the book of Hebrews chapter
10 verse 1, it says, for the law having a shadow of good things. When we read that sixth chapter
of the book of Numbers down to the verse 21 there, as I've read
that a number of times, I just had to say again what I said
this morning. I'm thankful I'm not there. I'm thankful I'm not
under that. But I am thankful for the one it pictured. I am
thankful for the one that it actually pictured for the laws
that only a shadow of good things to come and not the very image
of the things we can read about him from Genesis to Exodus, Genesis
to Revelation, excuse me. We can read about this one from
the beginning to the end. Very image of things can never
with those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually
make the comers there unto perfect. Nobody's going to get saved by
this. For then would they not have
ceased to be offered, because that the worshipers once purged
could have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices,
there is a remembrance again made of sins every year, for
it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take
away sins. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith,
sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body. hast thou prepared
for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin hath thou had no pleasure. Then said I, lo, I come in the
volume of the book it is written of me to do thy will, O God.
Above, when he said, sacrifice and offering and burn offerings
and offerings for sin that wouldest not, neither has pleasure in
them which are offered by the law. Then said he, lo, I come
to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first that
he may establish the second, by the which will we are sanctified
to the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once. Now there's
two words that are added there by the translators, once for
all, that does not mean for everybody, it means for all time. Once for
all time, it took place. The Lord Jesus fulfilled all
of that. Christ pleased the Father in
his life and in his death. He never had to shave his head. He never had to give up his crown.
Oh, it was with him. It was with him on the cross.
He was the only one. that could ever say with a loud
voice, it is finished. To everyone else, it was just
the beginning. To Him, every sacrifice is over,
every picture is fulfilled, every shadow is completed, everything
is done. Every Old Testament scripture
is fulfilled in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is finished. Nothing can be
added. Nothing can be taken away. It
is finished. His holiness, His crown was never
tarnished. His glory was never diminished. He did not have a sin in Him,
but He had all the sins of all His people on Him. Those Nazarites
went through that process voluntarily. He did what was required under
the law, voluntarily, to picture the glorious Savior that would
voluntarily take our sins upon Him, and in so doing, He straightened
us. Lord willing, this coming Wednesday,
I'm going to be talking to a young man, and I'm going to talk to
him about four points that were truly changed when the Lord saved
me. The message changed. The methods
changed. The purposes changed. And even
the music changed. I can't sing, there's a new name
written down in glory anymore. I can't sing, we'll work till
Jesus comes anymore. I gotta sing songs that glorify
the Lord. Brother Mike, if you'll come.