The Burnt Offering

Exodus 29. In Exodus 29, Barnard said one time, I have my notes, I hope I don't have to use them. I know exactly what he meant by that. We depend on the Lord to enable us to preach And I have asked the Lord several times since yesterday and this morning to enable me to make this clear, not complicated, because this is so beautiful. This is so beautiful. What we have here is the burnt offering. I titled it the burnt offering. I wanted to title it, The Burnt Offering, The Offering of Acceptance. It's The Offering of Acceptance.

And I wanted to title it, The Sweet Smell of Rest, because in verse 18 it says, It is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And over here in Genesis Chapter 8, listen to this in verse 20, And Noah built an altar unto the LORD, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savor, and over in my margin it says, A SAVOR OF REST. This is a sweet smell of rest, our Lord is. To God and to the believer, Jesus Christ is the sweet smell of rest. That's the third title I would have given it, but we'll call it The Burnt Offering.

Now one of the remarkable truths concerning the substitutionary work of Christ is that all the various sacrifices offered in the Levitical priesthood find their fulfillment in the one sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was telling Vicki this morning I said this is God's grace and mercy to us children His children I said He takes all that's in Christ all we have in Christ in the Old Testament And in the Old Testament, He breaks it down in parts. We have the SIN OFFERING, we have the BURN OFFERING, we have the CONSECRATION OFFERING, we have all these, the PEACE OFFERING, the TRESPASS OFFERING, all portray different aspects of the PERSON OF WORK of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you see that, the Old Testament just opens up. THE OLD TESTAMENT BECOMES SO BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE IN EVERY PART AND ASPECT THAT'S BROKEN DOWN FOR US, IT BREAKS IT DOWN FOR US, WE GET TO SEE HOW THESE THINGS ARE FULFILLED IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE BY HIS SACRIFICE FOR US. IT SAYS IN HEBREWS 10-14, FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HATH PERFECTED FOREVER THEM THAT ARE sanctified by one offering. See we see all these different offerings in the Old Testament but when we see Christ we see what? One offering. And by His one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified, chosen, and set apart of God for Himself. Now the last time we considered the sin offering That's in verses 10 through 14.

Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the sacrifice. And you'll notice that the bullock, this ram, this ram is the offering of acceptance. And then the next one is the offering of consecration, our consecration.

But they're all three. All three, Aaron and his sons, laid their hands upon the head of it, confessing their sins, and it was slain. It was put to death. This blood was shed. So that's what we see. They laid their hands upon the head of the sacrifice, confessing their sins, and that animal dying in their place. They watched that. They put their hands upon the head, and the emphasis is they pressed down upon its head, confessing their sins.

And then they watched Moses. Moses did this. At this time Aaron watched. Aaron and his sons watched. And Moses slew that bullock, and he cut it up, and he applied his blood, UPON THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR, AND POURED HIS BLOOD OUT AT THE BASE. AND AARON AND HIS SONS, THEY WATCHED THIS. THEY WATCHED IT.

AND WHAT THEY SAW, AND WHAT WE SEE, MORE CLEARLY THAN WHAT THEY SAW, WHAT WE SEE CLEARLY IS THE SUBSTITUTIONARY WORK OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. CHRIST AS OUR SUBSTITUTE, CHRIST DYING IN OUR PLACE. Isaiah 53, 6 says, All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. And by faith every believer spiritually lays his or her hand upon Christ, trusting Him to bear their sins away. I trust the Lord Jesus Christ to put away my sins. I look to Him, I believe that He has put away my sins and the sins of everyone whom He saves. He put their sins away.

He put them completely away. Now you'll remember that the body of the sin offering, that bullock, when they did this, its hide, its flesh, its dung was carried without the camp. and burned. There were parts of it burned on the altar, but its flesh, its hide, its dung, it says, was carried without the camp foreshadowing Christ's suffering outside the gates of Jerusalem for His elect, His people. That's what it foreshadows. But now the Lord turns our attention to another aspect of Christ's It's the burnt offering, it's the burnt offering.

Unlike the sin offering which emphasized guilt and judgment and reconciliation for over in Leviticus 8.15 it says that the altar was purified that reconciliation may be made upon the altar. But here it emphasizes acceptance before God.

Leviticus 1.4, listen, this is the one who brought the burnt offering, and it says, He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

The worshipper now, look in verse 15, let's get into this. The worshiper identifies himself with the sacrifice and this happens with all three of these sacrifices. Verse 15, Thou shalt also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. Aaron and his sons identify themselves with this sacrifice also. As I said, the emphasis here is change to acceptance. The burnt offering pictures Christ presenting Himself and thus before God.

It says in Hebrews 9.24, For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself NOW TO APPEAR IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD FOR US.

THIS IS OUR ACCEPTANCE. BECAUSE HE'S ACCEPTED, WE ARE ACCEPTED. WE ARE ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED. THAT SONG CAME TO MY MIND WHEN I STARTED STUDYING THIS. AS IT SAYS IN EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1 VERSE 6 WHEREIN HE HATH MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED. God made us accepted in Christ. Our acceptance is never found in ourselves. It rests entirely upon the acceptance of Christ as our burnt offering.

Now the sacrifice here, this ram, this burnt offering, it must die. It must die. All three offerings, it had to die. Its blood had to be shed. Acceptance before God could never come simply through Christ's righteousness only. That is Him keeping the law perfectly in His life, throughout His life only.

He has to die. He has to die. Remember the scripture that says, the wages of sin is death. It's death. As it says there in verse 16, thou shalt slay the ram. Justice demanded satisfaction. It says in Ezekiel 18 20, The soul that sinneth, it shall die. It shall die. The spotless ram had to die. And here's why. We are told this in Hebrews 9 22, Without the shedding of blood, THERE IS NO REMISSION OF SIN. THERE'S NO FORGIVENESS OF SIN WITHOUT THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD. CHRIST NOT ONLY LIVED PERFECTLY FOR US, HE DIED SUBSTITUTIONALLY FOR US.

HIS DEATH IS OUR DEATH. Don't let that become like some cold doctrine. He died in my place. His death is my death. He took the sting out of death and victory away from the grave. That's why every believer can face death rejoicing. That's exactly how we ought to face death, rejoicing. We're about to go home. We're about to be in a world where there's no sin. Can you imagine that? No sin in that world and no sin in the people there. No sin in the people. To worship God in spirit and in truth as He ought to be worshipped, we struggle to do it here. We struggle. You know what makes our worship, our praise, accepted? It's Christ that makes it accepted. Now in this verse 16, the blood is applied upon the altar. And thou shalt take his blood and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

Did you notice the difference from the blood of the sin offering to the blood of the burnt offering? What's done with it? In the sin offering the blood was placed upon the horns of the altar with his fingers. Moses dipped his finger in the blood and he put it upon the horns of the altar which shows the power of his blood. Horns representing power.

But then the blood was poured out at the base of the altar. Here, here the blood is sprinkled all around the altar. It's sprinkled all over the altar, all around it. It's sprinkled. You see in verse 12 we have the blood shed and poured out. In verse 16 we have the blood applied. We have the blood applied. The blood shed has to be applied. It's got to be applied.

The sacrifice accepted to make atonement for our sins. You see the sin offering was punished, you know, it was burned without the camp. Christ our sin offering suffered without the gate, it says. But now it turns to the burn offering and the blood is applied.

It's applied. It's not poured out, it's applied. It's already been shed. It's applied. Now we know this. Christ is our ALTAR. He is our ALTAR. Now that ALTAR was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is God incarnate. That's who Christ is. He's our ALTAR. He's God incarnate. Christ is both ALTAR and SACRIFICE. Don't forget this. He is both ALTAR and SACRIFICE. AND BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS, GIVES VIRTUE AND EFFICACY TO HIS BLOOD TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR ALL WHOM HE SAVES, BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS.

It says in Acts 20, 28, 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he, God, hath purchased with his own blood. Let me give you the point to remember out of this one.

The value of the offering of Christ rested upon the altar on which it was offered which is his deity. That's the value If Christ were only a man, His offering would do no good. It would be no good, would it? He wouldn't do us any good at all. The very fact that Jesus Christ is God, and His sacrifice of Himself, His humanity, was offered upon the altar of His deity.

And that's what gives it efficacy, power. toward us. Now, it says, here's something interesting, in Exodus 29, 37, it says, 7 days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it, and it shall be an altar most holy. This is typical, ceremonially it becomes an altar most holy. We know Christ our altar, is most holy. We know that. Whatsoever touches the altar shall be holy. Whatsoever touches the altar... You see before it was put upon that altar it was just common. It was just common. If Christ is just a man, He's just a common man. He does us no good.

But when that sacrifice is placed upon that altar it becomes most holy. Christ, as the God-man, as the God-man, offered himself up on his own deity, the God, and was accepted, and we are accepted in him. Now when I read this, whatsoever touches the altar shall be holy, I thought of that woman with the issue of blood. What does she keep saying? If I can but touch him, if I can but touch him, I'll be made whole. And she touched him. She touched the hem of his garment. And she was made whole. But more than that, she was made holy.

Holy. Whatsoever touches this altar, is made holy. You and I are made holy in the Lord Jesus Christ who is our altar. I hope I'm not confusing this. It's so clear to me and I knew I thought this I just hope I don't complicate it because Christ our altar makes us holy. He makes us holy. But not only that, listen, Christ being our ALTAR, He's our ALTAR! As Paul said in Hebrew, we have an ALTAR that those who serve the Temple have no right to eat of, that ALTAR is Jesus Christ! Now listen, and this is an important point, Christ being our ALTAR sanctifies makes holy what we are doing here this morning. It does. It makes our service, our person, our prayers, our praise, it comes before God in Christ and it's accepted. Because the altar makes the gift holy. Now you turn over to Matthew chapter 23. Matthew chapter 23. In Matthew chapter 23, look in verse, Matthew 23, 16. I'm gonna go 16 through 19.

Woe unto you, you blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it's nothing. But whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he's a debtor. Do you see the swindlers in this? If they swear by the temple, it's nothing. But if you swear by the gold on the temple, and if you don't hold up your oath, then we get the gold. That's what they're saying, and we get to go. You fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it's nothing, it's nothing. But whosoever swears by the gift that's upon it, he's guilty, he's a debtor, or he's bound to pay it. In other words, you swear by the gift that you put on it, if you don't honor your oath, then we get the gift. You gotta pay me, whatever you say. But listen to what he says, he says, you fools and blind, that's what you are, you're fools and you're blind.

But which is greater, whither is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Which is greater, Christ or the gift? It's Christ who sanctifies us. IS CHRIST WHO SANCTIFIES OUR WORSHIP, IS CHRIST WHO SANCTIFIES OUR SINGING, OUR PRAISE, IS CHRIST WHO SANCTIFIES US, HE'S THE ALTAR. Do you see that?

Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him that dwells therein. He said, which is greater, the altar or the gift that's put on the altar? The gift itself is nothing until it is put on the altar. Then the altar sanctifies it. This altar makes it holy. Christ makes us holy. And everything we do is accepted of God. Because Christ, our burnt offering, is the offering of acceptance. Am I being clear? Jane always tells me when I'm not clear. She lets me know at the door that I wasn't very clear on the subject. So I have to gauge everything by Jane.

Christ's sacrifice possesses infinite worth because it was offered upon the altar of His own Divine Person. THE ALTAR AND THE GIFT NOW BECOME ONE IN HOLINESS! Well, I can see it, but I don't know if I can articulate it like it ought to be. HIS DEITY GIVES INFINITE VALUE TO HIS SACRIFICE. IF HE'S NOT GOD, THEN HIS SACRIFICE IS WORTHLESS. IT'S JUST COMMON. IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING UNTIL IT'S OFFERED UPON THE ALTAR OF HIS DEITY. THAT'S THE TYPE! Christ is the REAL! He's the REAL ALTAR upon which He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. And this burnt offering is a sweet smell of savor to God.

His deity gives infinite value to His sacrifice. It is His blood that makes atonement for the soul because the blood was shed and is sprinkled upon the altar. You can go over in Leviticus 1-8 and it will cover everything we've been talking about. The first chapter has to do with the burnt offering. Then it's the altar that sanctifies the gift. His deity gives infinite value to the sacrifice. It is His blood that makes atonement for the soul and it is the altar that sacrifices all that He's done. His Deity, His Deity. Boy, I tell you how the Lord just breaks this down for us to see.

And then the sacrifice in verse 17 had to be entirely pure. And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him and his legs. Every visible and hidden part of the sacrifice had to be clean, every part of it. The inward parts, the outward parts had to be no blemish in the outward, every part was pure.

So it is with Christ. There was no corruption within, there was no defilement without, His thoughts, His motives, His affections, His affections, what He loved, His words and works were perfectly holy, and he was offered to God as one complete, spotless sacrifice.

Now in verse 18, the whole sacrifice ascended as a sweet smelling savor to God to God the sin offering parts of it was burned on the altar and the other parts i told you about was taken outside the gate and burned this offering the burnt offering the whole ram WAS BURNT ON THE ALTAR, THE WHOLE RAM, NONE OF IT WAS TAKEN WITHOUT THE GATE.

IT WAS ALL BURNED, THE WHOLE THING BURNED UPON THE ALTAR HERE. THOU SHALT BURN THE WHOLE RAM UPON THE ALTAR. IT IS A BURNT OFFERING UNTO THE LORD. IT IS A SWEET SAVOR, AN OFFERING MADE BY FIRE UNTO THE LORD. UNLIKE SOME OFFERINGS, NONE OF THIS WAS RESERVED. THE WHOLE RAM WAS BURNT ON THE ALTAR. THE WHOLE SACRIFICE BELONGED TO GOD. THIS POINTS US TO THE COMPLETE CONSECRATION OF JESUS CHRIST.

HE WITHHELD NOTHING FROM THE FATHER. HE OFFERED HIMSELF ENTIRELY. I MEAN ENTIRELY. to God and he did so willingly you know you go over in Leviticus the one who brings the burnt offering it says he's to offer it willingly Christ offered himself willingly no man takes my life I lay it down I lay it down and I take it up again this commandment have I received of my father but he said know this no man takes my life no man has that kind of power No man, I lay it down. I give it up. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

And the fire speaks of God's holy judgment that Christ endured in our place. Now we're not going to really, we're not going to really appreciate this until we stand in His presence. Until the second we close our eyes in death And we're gonna shout hallelujah. And we're gonna see what we're really saved from. We're gonna see what he really saved us from. We have an inkling of it now. As Paul said, we know in part, we preach in part.

But someday, when that which is in part is taken away, that'll be the day we die. That'll be the best day of your life. And you who believe, that will be the best day of your life. Solomon said, the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. He's talking about believers. That's the best day of our life. This fire speaks of God's judgment. Yet the result was not wrath upon his people, but a sweet-smelling savor unto God." As I read you another translation earlier, it's a sweet smell of rest to God. It's a sweet smell of rest to us too, isn't it? Sweet smell of rest.

The Father was fully satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. on behalf of a multitude of sinners, no man could number. And because God accepted him, God accepted everyone found in him. Now in closing, the burnt offering teaches us that our acceptance before God rests entirely upon the person and finished work of Jesus Christ. Our acceptance rest completely on Him. We identify ourselves with Him by faith. He died in our place as our SIN OFFERING, as our BURN OFFERING, the OFFERING OF ACCEPTANCE, and as the OFFERING OF CONSECRATION. We'll see this one next. I'm not going to get into that one yet.

Because that one, that ram is slain, and you know what is done with the blood then? You see, the first one is the SIN OFFERING, it is slain, and the blood, Moses takes his finger, dips it in the blood, puts it on the horns of the altar, and it's poured out at the base of the altar. The second one, it is sprinkled on the altar, and the whole offering is offered upon the altar, the whole ram. And the ram of consecration, when it sheds its blood, you know what he does with it? It is put on the right ear of Aaron and his son, the right ear, the right thumb, and the right toe.

You're mine, you're mine. We'll get into that when I get to there, but you're mine, he says. And then it's sprinkled upon the altar also. How beautiful, these picture Christ. WE ARE ACCEPTED IN HIM, WE ARE IDENTIFIED WITH HIM, HE DIED IN OUR PLACE, HIS BLOOD IS ACCEPTED BEFORE GOD ON OUR BEHALF, HIS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS QUALIFIED HIM AS THE SPOTLESS SACRIFICE, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. WHOEVER TOUCHES THE ALTAR IS HOLY.

When that leper said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. You know what the Lord did? He reached out and he touched him and he was immediately made whole. Or I could say it like this, or he was immediately cleansed, but he was immediately made holy in Christ. We are made holy in the Son of God. HIS OFFERING RISES AS A SWEET SAVOR UNTO THE FATHER, A SWEET SAVOR OF REST! REST! CHRIST SAID IT'S FINISHED! REST!

THEREFORE EVERY BELIEVER MAY REST CONFIDENTLY IN THIS GLORIOUS TRUTH HE HATH MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED. Ephesians 1 verse 6 God has made us accepted in the Beloved and all these offerings broken down for us in the Old Testament picture by picture by picture by picture like going through a photo album and every one of them is fulfilled in Jesus Christ they meet their end and fulfillment in the Son of God Christ crucified all right

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