Message 19 - By Leroy Surface
The Evening Sacrifice
Now this is that which thou shalt
offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.
The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt
offer at even.
Exodus 29:38-39
Our text in the twenty-ninth chapter of Exodus is speaking of what
is called the “daily sacrifice.” It
consists of the sacrifice of two lambs, one in the morning and the other in the
evening, to be sacrificed “day by day
continually.” When both lambs have been sacrificed the commandment of
the “daily sacrifice” has been
fulfilled, and God promised to “meet with
them, to speak unto them, and to sanctify the tabernacle with His glory” (Exodus 20:42-43). Moses instructed the priests of God in detail how they were
to prepare the morning sacrifice. When the sacrifice was prepared
according to the commandment, it would fill the camp with a “sweet smelling savour,” which would
also ascend up to God. Concerning the evening sacrifice, Moses said, “And the other lamb thou shalt offer at
even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and
according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made
by fire unto the LORD” (Exodus 29:41). In other words, the evening
sacrifice was to be prepared in the exact manner as the morning sacrifice, in
order that both would give the same “sweet
savour” unto the LORD, and the entire camp would be filled with the sweet
fragrance of the sacrifice. It was required that the Evening Sacrifice “smell” exactly like the Morning
Sacrifice.
We know that everything Moses commanded under the law was only a “type” and a “shadow” of something good to come in Christ (Hebrews 10:1). We know that Jesus Christ came into the world
and was offered on the cross to fulfill once and for all, every command of the
ceremonial law of sacrifices. For example, He is our “Passover lamb” which saves us from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9). He is our “propitiation” who died for our
justification (Romans 3:25-26).
He is our “scapegoat” who “bare our sins in his own body on the tree…”
(I Peter 2:24). Each of these sacrifices,
commanded by the Law of Moses, are fulfilled in the one offering of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Every sacrifice commanded by Moses became one sacrifice in
the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, fulfilling what Moses called the “morning sacrifice.” It was on the
cross that Jesus became our Passover lamb. He was our “sin offering,” as
well as our “scapegoat,” which bore
the sin of the entire world in His own body. He will never suffer
and die again. Never again will He shed his blood for our
redemption. He finished it all on the cross. In Hebrews 7:27, He is our “high priest,” “Who
needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his
own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up
himself.” Again, in Hebrews
10:12: “But this man, after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
Notice that the scripture said He “needeth
not daily to offer up sacrifice.” He made one sacrifice, His own body
and blood, which is sufficient to “save
them to the uttermost that come to God by Him.” His one sacrifice,
offered in the “morning,” is
sufficient to forgive, pardon, justify, sanctify, and glorify every person on
the planet if they will come to Him. Yet, for all the efficiency of His
sacrifice, the entire world still lies in wickedness (I John 5:18-20), and is condemned to eternal damnation if there is
not yet another sacrifice.
The
Evening Sacrifice
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1
The remaining sacrifice is the evening portion of the daily
sacrifice. We who have been redeemed by the blood of the morning sacrifice
are to offer the “evening sacrifice.” Remember
that the “daily sacrifice” consisted
of two spotless lambs to be offered “day
by day continually,” one in the morning and the other in the evening.
Jesus fulfilled the “morning sacrifice”
to perfection in His “one sacrifice for
sins forever (Hebrews 10:12),” and has no need to do so daily (Hebrews 7:27), yet the command of a “daily sacrifice” must be fulfilled by
the offering of the evening sacrifice “day
by day continually” (Exodus 29:38). We are the ones who must offer
that evening sacrifice. When Paul says, “I beseech you therefore brethren,” he is “calling us” to the evening sacrifice, where we will offer our own
bodies as a “living sacrifice” unto
God, which Paul reminds us is our “reasonable
service.” It is a “living
sacrifice,” in that we offer our bodies to the one who died for us, that He
might “live” through us. Paul
reminds the Corinthian church in I
Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? Know ye
not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have of God, and ye are not your
own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Again, in I Corinthians 7:23, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the
servants of men.”
We are the evening sacrifice. The “lamb” of the evening sacrifice was to be prepared in the same
manner as the morning lamb, to be a “sweet
savour…unto the LORD” (Exodus 29:41). In other words, when we are a
living sacrifice, we will “smell”
exactly like Jesus. Paul explained this in II Corinthians 2:15-17: “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ,
in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour
of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is
sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the
word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we
in Christ.” It is the “preparation”
of the sacrifice that brings the sweet savour, and it cannot be the preparation
of our own hands. In Hebrews 10:5-7,
it is spoken of Jesus, “Wherefore when he
cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me…Lo, I
come…to do thy will, O God.” Jesus’ body was not the result of human
conception. He was “the Word made
flesh, to dwell among us” (John 1:14). It was God who prepared His
body for the sacrifice. His entire purpose in coming was to sacrifice His
body for our sin, and what a sweet savour it was (and is) that He “gave Himself for us.”
Jesus said, “I come to do thy
will, O God.” His coming into this world was all about the
sacrifice. It was the “will” of
almighty God that put Jesus on the cross for our sin. Hebrews 10:10 tells the result of His “doing the will” of His Father: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.” It was the will of God that Jesus would suffer and die
for our justification, and shed His blood for our sanctification. Notice Hebrews 13:12, “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
This verse, containing only seventeen words, explains in clearer detail than
any other scripture why Jesus suffered the cross: “that He might sanctify the people with His own blood.” Can
you believe it? Has Jesus offered His body? Yes? Then we who
believe “are sanctified.” Has
Jesus suffered outside the gate of Jerusalem? Has He shed His precious
blood? Yes? Then again we must agree, if it was not in vain, “we are sanctified” through His
offering, and by the shedding of His precious blood. Now we have
something to offer; something that is “holy
and acceptable unto God.” It is our bodies, prepared by God for the
evening sacrifice.
The
“Smell Test”
We are often told that our “spirit”
is pure and holy while our “body”
remains sinful and unholy. Nonsense! No child of God could defend
that position. A single verse of scripture among dozens which say the
same, will destroy the position of those who believe they have a “dual nature,” both holy and
unholy. I Thessalonians 5:23: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God
your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul
called upon us to present our bodies, “holy
and acceptable” unto God. It is His preparation at Calvary that has
made us holy and acceptable, and such a sacrifice always brings a “sweet savour of Christ.” It is the
“unholy” sacrifice that is
unacceptable to God. Such unholy offerings bring a “stench” rather than the “sweet
savour of Christ.” There is a “smell
test.” I see so many things that are done in the name of our Lord
Jesus, the Christ, that simply do not pass the smell test. Jesus warned
of false prophets. He said, “By
their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew
7:15-20). They neither “taste” nor “smell” like Jesus, and we are forbidden to follow after
them.
It is the “offering of the
body” that brings either a “sweet
savour” or a “stench.” In
the churches of today it is a common belief that the body is of no importance
at all as long as we “believe” in
Jesus. James 2:26 tells us “…the body without the spirit is dead…”
The human body does absolutely nothing of itself. It has no mind or will
of its own, but only does those things the person living in the body
does. II Corinthians 5:10
warns us, “For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
But in a great house there are not
only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to
honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from
these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s
use, and prepared unto every good work.
II Timothy 2:20-21
Our body, for the purposes of God, is simply a vessel. It is
clear that God will not receive every vessel for His service, but only those
that are “vessels unto honour.”
It is a common mistake to believe the “vessels
unto honour” in this text are those that are made of gold and silver, while
the “vessels unto dishonour” are
those made of wood or earth. Paul questions this in Romans 9:21, saying, “Hath
not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honour, and another unto dishonour?” Again, in II Corinthians 4:7, he says, “But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may
be of God, and not of us.” The earthen vessel Paul speaks of is our
body, made from the dust of the earth, which God has prepared to contain His
Spirit and glory. The vessel of honour, whether it is of gold, silver,
wood, or clay, is also “sanctified;”
it is “meet (useful) for the master’s use,” and “prepared unto every good work.”
Paul also speaks of “vessels of
dishonour,” and names two such vessels in II Timothy 2:16-18; “But shun
profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus
and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred….”
Hymenaeus and Philetus
were false teachers among the people of God. Paul labeled their doctrines
as “profane and vain babblings” that
could only result in “more ungodliness.”
When Paul said in the twenty-first verse,
“If a man therefore purge himself from
these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,” he was telling the people of God
to separate themselves from both the “babblers
(false teachers)” and their “vain babblings (false doctrines).” If Paul could name these two as “vessels of dishonour” that are “fitted to destruction (Romans 9:22),” there are hundreds of the same among the people of God today,
yet the multitudes have been conditioned to believe that God uses such
vessels. In the aftermath of the “Todd
Bentley” revival in Florida there are literally dozens of blogs on the
Internet telling us “God only uses flawed
vessels.” Why then did Paul tell us to present our bodies a living
sacrifice, “holy, acceptable unto God?”
Obviously there is that sacrifice which is not acceptable to God, and that
vessel He will not use.
The
Temple
Our body is the temple of God. This fact reveals the intents
and purposes of God. He has promised, “I
will dwell in them; I will walk in them; I will be their God, and they shall be
my people.” There are three places in first and second Corinthians
where Paul reminds the people that they are “the
temple of God.” He makes it very clear in two of these places that it
is the will of God to dwell in the physical bodies of His people by the Holy
Ghost. This explains why we are told to “present our bodies…holy, acceptable unto God.” God will not
accept an unholy body, and will not dwell in an unholy temple. Whatever
we have done either in or to our bodies in a life of sin before repentance and
salvation is of little consequence. In Romans 6:6, Paul says, “Our
old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin.” It is the “henceforth” of the child of God that really matters. The
cross has drawn a line in the sand. What has happened in the past is in
the past. Sin is nailed to His cross, and its entire “body” is destroyed. All that matters is the future, and God
gives us the grace to “serve Him
acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).
The
Church
Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the
temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are.
I Corinthians 3:16-17
This text is speaking of the church of Jesus Christ as the temple
of God. In the eleventh verse, Paul makes it very clear that Jesus is the
foundation, and both Paul and Peter confirm that He is also the “chief corner stone.” In the
ninth verse Paul says, “Ye are God’s
building.” The only “building”
God has is His temple. In Ephesians
2:21-22, Paul speaks of this “building,”
saying, “In whom all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are
builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.” Verses twelve through fifteen speaks of
the “builders” which build in the
temple. They are only to build gold, silver, and precious stones into the
temple, all of which speak of “eternal
values.” If any man builds with wood, hay, or stubble, it will burn when
the fiery trial comes, and his work will be lost, even though the builder may
be saved through the fire.
There seems to be surprise in Paul’s words in the first of this
text: “Know ye not that ye are the temple
of God?” This is certainly not something to be taken lightly.
The severest of warnings is given to the builders (ministers) in the house of
God. “If any man defile the temple
of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye
are.” What an awesome responsibility it is to be a “builder” in the house of God. If
I bring sin into the church, I defile the temple. If I bring the world
into the church, again, I defile the temple of God. If I bring “another gospel” into the church, I have
defiled the temple of God, and for each of these God said the penalty is
destruction. Oh how grieved the Spirit of God must be over the American
churches today. Among the “best”
of churches there seems to be so much wood, hay, and stubble built into the
structure. Many of the rest have long since been defiled with strange
spirits and doctrines of devils built right into their foundation, and every
particle of their structure.
It is not to be taken lightly that we are the temple of God, and that
the Spirit of God desires to dwell in us. Many are not aware of how
easily the Spirit of God is “grieved.”
I recall with sorrow an event that happened almost thirty years ago. I
married a young couple that was not of our church but was kin to one of our
families. After the ceremony I visited with some people in the sanctuary
while the reception began in the fellowship hall. After a time, I entered
the fellowship hall just as they popped the cork on a bottle of Champaign to
toast one another. I had failed to give them restrictions on the use of
our fellowship hall, as I never considered there might be a problem. I
did not want to “cause a scene,” or
embarrass the people, so I stood quietly by and said nothing. I was
deeply grieved, but more than that, I knew the Holy Ghost was also
grieved. It was many weeks and after much weeping and repenting on my
part before the presence of God filled our church again. I realize there
may be many reading this who cannot receive what I am saying. Maybe they
have been “built” into churches that
believe social drinking and social dancing are simply a part of our “Christian liberty,” but oh, what a
delusion that is. The Spirit of God has long since departed, and they do
not even know it. They have been destroyed; yet they do not know.
Over thirty-eight years ago I received a vision from the Lord
concerning the “builders.” I
believe it was in the spring of 1970 that I saw the arising of the “super churches.” In the vision
they arose up out of the ground in every major city of America. I stood
upon a high mountain and watched as domed structures literally pushed up from
beneath. They looked strangely like flying saucers, with windows
and lights all around. The feeling I had as I saw this could not have
differed so much than if I had seen an “invasion”
from outer space. After a time I realized these were “churches” that were reaching thousands of people. I went
into one of the churches and saw a great feast spread, with every imaginable
sort of delicacy prepared. I saw a tray of sandwiches on a table near me,
and I thought, “It won’t hurt to eat just
one.” I put the sandwich to my mouth and was about to eat when I
heard a loud voice from heaven say to me, “Don’t
eat of it!” I was so shocked that I put it down and left that
place. In the same vision I saw myself driving across country at the
midnight hour and I passed by some of the beautiful houses the builders had
built for themselves. They were huge mansions, obviously very
expensive. I turned off the highway to get a closer look at one of them
when I noticed a fire on its roof. I ran to the door, knocking, and
hollering, “Wake up! Your house is
on fire! Wake up, your house is on fire.” The owner of the
house came out in his pajamas, got his garden hose, sprayed water on the fire,
and immediately returned to his sleep. I left that place feeling really
good, because I had saved this preacher’s house. Suddenly I saw the
beautiful house of another of the “builders”
and there was a fire on its roof. I ran to that house, again screaming, “Wake up, your house is on fire.”
This second builder did the same as the first. No excitement, he just got
the garden hose, sprayed the fire with water, and went back to sleep. It
seemed strange to find two of these mansions on fire in one night, but again, I
felt good that I had saved the house. Then I saw several houses on fire
at once. I ran from house to house crying “Wake up! Wake up! Your house is on fire.” In every case the
result was the same, and they all went back to sleep. The same houses
began to burn again, and I wearied as I continued running from house to house
to awake the occupants. Finally, the first house began to burn for the
third time. I ran a third time to that house, calling at the top of my
lungs, “Wake up! Your house is on fire.”
A third time this builder of super churches came out in his pajamas, got his
garden hose to spray water on the fire. “No
big deal! Nothing to get so excited about,” was his attitude, when suddenly
before our eyes his house turned into a house of sticks and straw, and nothing
could save it as it burned furiously to the ground; a total loss. This
preacher has spent almost forty years crying from place to place for the
churches and its builders to “wake up,”
seemingly to no avail. If I had never had a vision fulfilled, I would
disregard this one, but I know the ministry and calling God gave me so many
years ago, and I know the spiritual houses of many builders are about to burn
to the ground, for they have defiled the church of Jesus Christ.
Our
Body
What? Know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are
not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your
body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
I Corinthians 6:19-20
In this text Paul expresses shock at the ignorance of the
Corinthians concerning their own physical body. “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost…and ye are not you own?” Just as God has redeemed our soul with
the precious blood of Jesus, He has also “purchased”
our body. The sinner cries, “It’s
my body! I will do with it what I please.” Such a cry becomes
the justification for addictions, abortion, and every sexual sin. The
child of God knows, it is not “my body”
to do with as I please. It is His body, His temple, to be prepared
for the glory of God.
The Corinthian church had a serious sin problem in their
congregation. Perhaps the most serious of problems was the issue of
fornication that Paul addressed in the fifth chapter.
It is reported commonly that there is
fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among
the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
I Corinthians 5:1
In the scriptures, every sexual sin is included under that one
word, “fornication.” The particular
sin Paul identified in the Corinthian church was “incest,” a sin so repulsive that it was not even found among the
heathen religions of the gentiles. It was not a matter that the church
did not know what was going on, because Paul said, “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you.”
Everyone knew! It did not require special “spiritual discernment,” because everybody was talking about
it. Paul sharply reproved the church, telling them to purge this thing
out of the church. In I Corinthians
5:6 he demanded of them, “Know ye not
that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” If sin is not dealt
with, but rather “approved” by our
silence, it will fill the congregation in short order. In the next verse
he commanded them, “Purge out therefore
the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:6-7).
I wrote unto you in an epistle not to
company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this
world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must
ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep
company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or
an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no
not to eat.
I Corinthians 5:9-11
What a powerful admonition against sin in the church. “If any man that is called a brother be a
fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an
extortioner,” do not keep company with them and do not eat with them.
Oh how cold and hard this sounds to the ear of the church of the twenty first
century. We would rather “counsel
them” for a period of time, after which, if they endure the counseling,
they can be “restored.” This
was the course the Corinthian church took. Paul said, “Ye are puffed up (proud), and have not rather mourned, that he that
hath done this deed might be taken away from you.” Paul actually
instructed the church to “deliver
(the Greek definition is ‘surrender’)
such an one unto Satan for the
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord
Jesus” (I Corinthians 5:5). We might think this would be the
end of the story, and the man would be lost forever, but such was not the
case. God’s way of dealing with backsliders is not to destroy them, but
to bring them to godly sorrow and repentance. It is some time later that
Paul tells us the end of this matter. When the church dealt with sin in
God’s way, the sinner came to sorrow, and sorrow brought him to
repentance. Hear Paul’s counsel concerning this man in II Corinthians 2:6-8, “Sufficient to such a man is this
punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought
rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be
swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would
confirm your love toward him.” How much time passed between these
first and second epistles we do not know, but we do know the man repented in
godly sorrow for his fornications. It was not the wisdom of man’s
counseling that turned this man to the Lord nearly as much as those things he
suffered as the fruit of his sin.
It is absolutely incredible that any “church,” or any group of people who call themselves by the name “Christian,” would need the instructions
Paul gave to the Corinthians in the following verses.
Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord;
and the Lord for the body.
I Corinthians 6:13
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?
shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an
harlot? God forbid.
I Corinthians 6:15
What? know ye not that he which is
joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
I Corinthians 6:16-17
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man
doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against
his own body.
I Corinthians 6:18
I have said many times that our bodies are not sinful. If we
are sinning, it is the one living in the body that is sinful. Paul confirms
this in this eighteenth verse. “Every
sin that a man doeth is without (aside from) the body.” Jesus also confirms this in Mark 7:20-23: “And he said,
That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within,
out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,
murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and
defile the man.” Notice that even adultery, fornication, and murder
are not sins of the body, but “proceed
from within, out of the heart of man.” Even evil thinking comes from
the spiritual “heart” of man.
Paul concludes, that while every sin a man does is committed without the body,
the “fornicator” sins “against his own body.” If one
claims to be a child of God while continuing in sin, it is because their “inner man” is still an “old man” that has never suffered the
cross with Christ.
Unequal Yokes
Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
and what communion hath light with darkness? And 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; as God hath said, I will
dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people.
II Corinthians 6:14-16
This is Paul’s final argument to the Corinthians concerning the sacredness
of the temple of God. He begins with a command: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” Everything
else he says in this text is in defense of this command. ”What fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And 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?” There is no
possible vindication for a believer agreeing to yoke with an unbeliever.
This brings us to a serious issue in our churches. Christian young men
and women desperately need to find other dedicated Christian young people for
their fellowship, and most especially for marriage. It is forbidden for a
child of God to marry an unbeliever. The problem with such a union is
obvious, and most often brings a lifetime of hurt and heartache to the
believer. Paul’s admonition, however, goes far beyond the marriage union,
as his questions indicate. We are to be a “separate” people. This does not mean that we are to gather
robes of self-righteousness about ourselves, and say, “Come not near to me, for I am holier than thou” (Isaiah 65:5). God said, “These are
a smoke in my nose.” The scripture says that Jesus is “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” He was “different.” He was known as the “friend of sinners and publicans,” yet
he was separate. Sinners and publicans loved Him and sought Him out,
because He was separate. Jesus was
a light in a darkened world, but He had no fellowship with darkness. John
says in I John 1:4, “That which we have seen and heard declare
we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” The apostle did
not seek the fellowship of the world. In fact, it was John who said, “Love not the world, neither the things that
are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him” (I John 2:15). On the other hand he lived a
life and preached a gospel that said to the world, “You can have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” He was “separate.”
The reason Paul gives for not being “yoked together with unbelievers” is found in the sixteenth verse: “for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.” What a wonderful and glorious truth,
that our body is the temple of God. It is also a reality that He will
dwell in us, and walk in us according to His promise, but this promise is
conditional. Read the next verse.
Wherefore come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
II Corinthians 6:17-18
Notice the term “be ye
separate, saith the Lord.” Separate is a state of being. Many
have “separated” from the world that
are in fact “just like the world.” I
refer to the scripture in I Corinthians
5:9-11, where Paul told the believer not to “company with fornicators.” He made it clear that to
literally obey that command, you would have to “go out of the world (leave the planet).” Paul explained that it was more important to separate from
those “fornicators, covetous, idolaters,
railers, drunkards, and extortioners” that are also called “brothers.” Sadly, that includes a
large part of the church and ministry of today. Jesus had no fellowship
with the scribes and Pharisees. He had no fellowship with the hypocrites,
or the self-righteous. I remember a time years ago that I became so
lonely for fellowship. I had tried to find fellowship in several “fellowships,” but it was not there for
me. Weeks went by in which I felt like the loneliest man on earth.
Tears filled my eyes from the horrible loneliness. I remember one day I
was out in a field operating a tractor with the tears of loneliness flowing down
my face. Finally I opened my mouth and spoke out loud, “At least I have fellowship with the Father,
and with His Son Jesus.” Immediately I heard the voice of God’s
Spirit, which had been silent during all this time, asking, “Is that not enough?” Oh, I had to
stop the tractor. I had to lift up my hands to God, and cry aloud, “Yes Lord, it is enough that I have
fellowship with you.” Instantly that loneliness was gone, and it has
never returned. The Spirit spoke to me again, “If you have fellowship with the Father and His Son, you also have
fellowship with those who fellowship the Father and His Son.” I have
never forgotten that.
God has promised, “I will
receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters.” We are still talking about the “temple of God” which we are. He has said, “I will dwell in you, and walk in you.
I will be your God….” That is how it is when God comes to His temple.
He will live in us like He lived in Jesus. Paul concludes this passage in
the first verse of the next chapter:
“Having therefore these promises, dearly
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1).
He speaks of “all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit.” He is saying, “Come
out of this present evil world (Galatians
1:4),” and “Come out of the sinful apostate church” (Revelation 18:4).
The Ministry of
Reconciliation
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he
is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new. And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the
ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not
imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
II Corinthians 5:17-20
Read these verses carefully, and you will see clearly that there
are two parts to the ministry of reconciliation. The first part was
fulfilled to perfection in the death and resurrection of Jesus. He gave
His life to reconcile us. Paul says in Romans 5:10, “…we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son….” Jesus’ death on the cross was
sufficient for the reconciliation of every person, yet this generation is proof
that Jesus could die for the sin of the world and two thousand years later the
entire world would still lie in wickedness (I John 5:19). A majority of the inhabitants of earth do not
even believe that Jesus is the Son of God. A vast majority of those who
profess to believe in Jesus have absolutely no fruit to indicate they are
His. Among the billions of people on earth, the faithful believers are
only a handful, even though there is perhaps more religious activity in the
name of Jesus than ever before. It is very obvious that Jesus could have
come, lived, suffered, shed His blood, died, and even rose again from the dead,
and ascended to the right hand of God, and it could have all been in
vain. Not a single soul would have been saved by all that Jesus did even
though He did it to perfection, because God has ordained that “the evening sacrifice” must be
offered. We must give our entire spirit, soul, and body, to fulfill a “second work of reconciliation.”
The simple gospel must be preached in every generation, to every person.
Notice the eighteenth verse above,
which reveals a second work of reconciliation: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” Do you
see what this scripture says? God has “given
to us the ministry of
reconciliation.” Something had to happen before we could be
saved. The obvious answer is that Jesus had to come, suffer, and die for
our sin. This is very true, but He did exactly that almost two thousand
years ago. There is no deficiency in His sacrifice. Before we could
be saved, however, someone had to present their body, a living sacrifice, to
bring the gospel to us. Paul asked the question, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they
hear without a preacher?” (Romans
10:14). Jesus came to earth with a mission to reconcile us to God, but
the “ministry of reconciliation” is
given to us.
The next verse, II
Corinthians 5:19, explains the ministry of reconciliation: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them; and hath committed
unto us the word of reconciliation.” The words “to wit” mean “in the manner that.” The example of God being in Christ to
reconcile the world to Himself through the death of Jesus is the pattern for
the ministry of reconciliation. It is a promise that God will also be in
us to evangelize the world just as He was in Christ to die for the
world. Remember the “great
commission.” ”Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” That is the part
of reconciliation that is committed to us. If we fail in our part, Jesus
died in vain, and the billions of people on earth will perish.
The
Dilemma
When Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, there is no record
that any of His disciples or followers believed the report. The women
first heard the angel at the tomb say, “He
is not here; He is risen.” Mary, after hearing the good report, went
into the garden and saw Jesus, and thinking He was the gardener, asked Him, “Where have you taken His body?”
She could not believe until Jesus spoke her name. The women ran to tell
the disciples, but they did not believe them until Jesus revealed
Himself. Two disciples walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and told
Him of the death of the one they thought surely was the Messiah. They
never knew Him until be broke bread with them and blessed it, and they knew it
was Jesus. Thomas heard the report from the other disciples, but refused
to believe unless he saw with his eyes the nail prints, and thrust his hand
into the hole in his side. Jesus had to reveal Himself personally to each
of His disciples before they could believe. Oh how shallow is the
believing of people today, professing Him without really knowing
Him.
Even after Jesus had so wonderfully revealed Himself to his
disciples, there came a day that Peter said to the others, “I’m going fishing,” and the others said, “We’re going with you.” This was not simply a day of rest on
the lake. They were returning to their former occupations and
lives. They were fishermen when Jesus had found them over three years
before, and they would be fishermen again. The salvation of the world
hung in the balance that day. Jesus had died. The price for
salvation had been paid, and reconciliation had been made. Forgiveness and
pardon was available for every living person, yet the whole world must perish
while Jesus’ disciples “go fishing.”
Jesus’ work of reconciliation was finished. He would never die
again. He was soon to ascend to the Father, but if He cannot get his
disciples off that lake, the entire world will go to hell. His work is
finished, but theirs is to begin.
When Jesus found His disciples on the lake it was exactly as it had
been three and a half years before. They had toiled all night, but they
had not caught any fish. He called to them but they did not know Him (John 21:4). “Children, have you any meat?” They answered “No.” “Cast the net on the right side
of the ship, and ye shall find.” When they cast their nets again, on
the right side, they were not able to draw the net for the multitude of the
fishes. Only then did they recognize that it was Jesus calling to
them. When they came to land, Jesus had bread and fish cooking on coals
of fire, and called to them again, “come
and dine.” The future of the Kingdom of God hung in the balance for
several hours while Jesus visited with His disciples. If He cannot reach
them a second time, all He has done will be in vain, and the entire world must
perish.
After they had eaten, Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more
than these.” This is the first of three questions Jesus will ask
Peter on that occasion, each of them different. The impact of this first
question is found in the words “more than
these.” Over three years before this time, Jesus had called His
disciples with the simple words, “follow
me.” Each of them had immediately forsaken everything to follow Him.
Peter and Andrew, both fishermen, “left
their nets, and followed Him” (Matthew
4:19). Jesus called James
and John, and “they immediately left the
ship and their father and followed Him” (Matthew 4:22).
Matthew and Levi were both tax collectors who left all to follow Jesus.
There were others who promised to follow Jesus under certain conditions.
To one of these Jesus said, “Foxes have
holes, birds have nests, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
To another He said, “Let the dead bury the
dead.” To another, who simply wanted to tell his friends and family
goodbye, Jesus said, “No man, having put
his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven.”
Perhaps the most troubling of all the sayings of Jesus is this from
Luke 14:26: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife,
and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot
be my disciple.” The word “hate”
in this verse is translated from the Greek word “miseo” meaning, “to detest;” by extension, “to
love less (Strong’s Concordance).”
The word should have been translated “love
less” in this text. What Jesus literally said was this: “If any man come to me, and does not love me more than he loves his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and
his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” It is from this
background teaching that Jesus asks Peter, “Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than
these.” It was an all-inclusive question. Do you love me
more than your nets; more than your ship; more than your friends; more than
your parents; more than your children; more than your wife; more than your
brothers and sisters, or more than all your hopes and dreams, your pleasures or
ambitions? “Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me more than these?”
Peter answered, “Yea Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee.” The Greek word that is used for “love” in Peter’s response is “phileo,” and
means “to be a friend,” or “to be fond of.” Jesus was asking
for “love” as expressed in the Greek
word “agapao,”
which is a much greater love, though weaker than “agape,” which is the love Jesus loved with. Peter could only
answer, “Lord, you know that we are
friends; I really like you; I am very fond of you.” Peter could see
nothing wrong with his answer. In fact, Jesus had called His disciples “friends” for the first time only the
day before He died on the cross. “Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call
you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have
called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made
known unto you” (John 15:13-15).
Everything had changed since Jesus had first called them
friends. He had suffered and died the horrible death of the cross.
God had raised Him up again, proving Him to be the “Son of God with power” (Romans
1:4). Now, He was asking
His disciples for more than friendship. They had once followed His as “servants.” Peter was pleased that
Jesus had called them friends, but Jesus was asking, not for friendship, but
for a love relationship that would bind Peter and the others to Him so much
more than ever before. It must be such a love that they would follow Him
even unto their own death. It would be a love that would propel them
around the world to preach the gospel to every creature. Nothing He
required of them could be accomplished simply as servants, or even as
friends. It would require them to be bound to Him with chains of
love. This was expressed in the question, “Lovest thou me more than these.”
The second question Jesus asked Peter was shorter and to the
point. “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me.” Notice that He dropped the words “more than these.” When Peter answered the first question, “Yes Lord, I am your friend,” Jesus knew
the real answer was “No Lord, not ‘more
than these.” Now Jesus is asking Peter, “Do you love me,” and receives the same answer, “Yes Lord, you know I am your friend.”
Each time Peter responded, Jesus had told him “feed my lambs,” or, “feed my
sheep.” There was something for Peter to do that would require his
life, for the rest of his life. Peter had other plans. He still had
his fishing boat and nets. He had given up three years of his life for
Jesus; what more could be expected of Him? He was a friend of Jesus’ and
would remember Him with great fondness for as long as he lived, but now it was
time to get on with his life.
Jesus had finished His work on earth. Reconciliation had been
made; redemption’s price had been paid. He had offered His own body, a
sinless sacrifice for sin as He suffered the death of the cross. He had
shed His precious blood for our sanctification. He had been buried and
raised up again the third day. Soon He must ascend to His Father to sit
upon the throne of heaven, but His chosen disciples, the ones who held the “keys to the kingdom,” were not
ready. Jesus had offered the “morning
sacrifice” in His death. It was time for the “evening sacrifice” to be offered in the lives of His disciples,
but they were not willing. The first work of reconciliation was
accomplished. Now, every person on earth could come to God through Jesus
Christ. It was time for the second work of reconciliation to begin.
The gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached to every creature, but His apostles
had gone fishing. Peter, the leader among them, could not even tell Jesus
that he loved Him. Being questioned twice, Peter could only say, “Lord, you know we are friends.” Jesus
had one more question for Peter. This was the question that would cut
Peter to the quick.
It was the third time that Jesus questioned Peter. This time,
the question was drastically different. He approached Peter on the same
level that Peter had answered Him previously. This time, when He asked
Peter, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me,” He used the same word for “love”
that Peter had used in his answers. What Jesus really asked Peter was, “Simon, son of Jonas, are you really my friend?” This was a crushing blow to
Peter. Immediately he had to face the fact that he could not even tell
Jesus that he loved Him. His third answer was no different from the first,
as he cried out in great grief, “Thou
knowest all things; thou knowest that I love you (as a friend).” Peter still could not
express the love that Jesus sought from Him. Again, Jesus told Peter, “Feed my sheep,” and continued, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou
wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when
thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird
thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not” (John 21:18). Jesus
then told Him, “Follow me.”
It was time for Peter to offer his “evening sacrifice.” Peter was suffering his personal “Gethsemane” as he wrestled with his
personal desires. The Spirit of God was calling, “Present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service…I will dwell in you, I will walk in you.”
Peter was the first of the disciples to openly declare that Jesus “is the Christ, the Son of the living God
(Matthew 16:16),” yet, just hours before Jesus was crucified, Peter denied three
times in one night that he even knew Jesus, the third time with cursing.
Peter knew that Jesus was raised from the dead, but he was discouraged and
disappointed in himself. How could he profess to love Jesus when he had
denied Him three times? How could the Lord ever trust him again? I
can remember a time some thirty years ago that I wept bitter tears in an altar,
crying, “Lord, you can never use me
again. I have shamed your name, and you can never use me again.”
Oh how I wanted to be that vessel of honor, a vessel fit for His use, but I
could not believe it could be so. The Lord had to reach me a second time,
just as He had to reach Peter the second time. Peter still was not
convinced. He pointed at John, and asked, “Lord, what shall this man do?” Jesus answered him somewhat
abruptly, “If I will that he tarry till I
come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.” In everyday
English, Jesus had said, “Peter, it’s
none of your business what John does. If it’s my will that John does nothing at
all until I return, what is that to you? You are to follow me!”
These were the last recorded words that Jesus spoke directly to Peter before He
ascended to the Father. At what point the “change” came to Peter, we do not know. We do know that Peter
followed Him to Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended to
heaven. He obeyed Jesus in not departing from Jerusalem, but waiting for
the promise of the Father, he “continued
with one accord in prayer and supplication (Acts 1:14)” with the
hundred and twenty until the day God “poured
out His Spirit upon them” (Acts
2:1-4). It was Peter who
God so filled and anointed with the Holy Ghost to preach that first gospel
message which brought three thousand souls to salvation through Jesus, and the
church of Jesus Christ was born that day. Peter and the other apostles who
had been so disillusioned and confused that day by the Sea of Galilee made a
choice. They would give what God required. They would offer the
evening sacrifice, their own body, a living sacrifice to God. All that
followed in the book of Acts record is the evidence that God, according to His
promise, received them. They were now moved by the Holy Spirit of God,
which dwelt in them and worked through them until the world of their generation
was “turned upside down” for Jesus.
The Promise
This shall be a continual burnt
offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation before the LORD: where I
will meet you, to speak there unto
thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.
And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar... And I will dwell among the children of
Israel, and will be their God.
Exodus 29:42-45
Notice four promises I have italicized in this text. It is at
the offering of the evening sacrifice that God has promised, “I will meet you;” “I will speak there
unto you;” “I will sanctify the tabernacle with my glory;” and, “I will dwell with you and be your God.” All
these promises await those who offer the “evening
sacrifice.” It was at the time of the “evening sacrifice” that Elijah offered his sacrifice and the fire
of God fell upon the altar, turning Israel back to worship the true God.
The ultimate fulfillment, however, was on the day of Pentecost. The
hundred and twenty had presented their bodies, holy and acceptable unto God,
and God poured His Spirit into them. He met with them. He spoke
with them. He sanctified His temple, the church, with His glory. He
filled His temple, the hundred and twenty, with His Spirit. Thousands were
added to the church. Oh, how we need such a visitation today. We do
not need another “fad” revival, with
unclean vessels filled with unclean spirits showing lying wonders to
deceive. We need the Holy Spirit of God to flood into our churches once
more, bringing conviction of sin and deliverance to the people. We need
to understand, as our forefathers did, that the Holy Spirit of God does not
dwell in an unclean temple. We must offer the evening sacrifice, which is
our body, presented holy, acceptable unto God, a living sacrifice. When
we do so, we will find His promise is still true. He will meet with us
once again. He will speak to us once again. He will sanctify His
church with his glory. Nothing can bring such cleansing and renewing to
the house of God as the glory of God’s presence. Oh how we need it
today. Child of God, come out of the shame and sham of sinful
religion. Your body was made for the glory of God. Jesus shed His
blood to make you clean and holy. Surrender yourself to God, holy and
acceptable to Him, and He will receive you. He will fill you with His
Spirit. He will dwell in you, and all that you are will be praise and a glory
to Him. It’s time to offer the “evening
sacrifice.”
Message 19 - By Leroy Surface - “The Evening Sacrifice”
-------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP of PAGE
NEXT MESSAGE
PREVIOUS MESSAGE
Leroy
Surface MESSAGES
JDG MESSAGES
Keith Surface
MESSAGES
