Tuesday, March 11, 2014

We have such an high priest... in heaven

First of all I want to recap the FOUR categories we've discussed. Read each category in it's fullness before we examine it closer.

All by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lev 4:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 4:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them

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Category ONE -  PRIEST

Lev 4:3  If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
Lev 4:4  And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the LORD.
Lev 4:5  And the PRIEST THAT IS ANOINTED shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:
Lev 4:6  And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.
Lev 4:7  And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 4:8  And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
Lev 4:9  And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away,
Lev 4:10  As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering.
Lev 4:11  And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,
Lev 4:12  Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.

Category TWO - CONGREGATION

Lev 4:13  And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
Lev 4:14  When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 4:15  And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
Lev 4:16  And the PRIEST THAT IS ANOINTED shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
Lev 4:17  And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the vail.
Lev 4:18  And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 4:19  And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.
Lev 4:20  And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
Lev 4:21  And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.

Category THREE - RULER

Lev 4:22  When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
Lev 4:23  Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
Lev 4:24  And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering.
Lev 4:25  And the PRIEST shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
Lev 4:26  And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Category FOUR - INDIVIDUAL

Lev 4:27  And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
Lev 4:28  Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
Lev 4:29  And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.
Lev 4:30  And the PRIEST shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.
Lev 4:31  And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
Lev 4:32  And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.
Lev 4:33  And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.
Lev 4:34  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:
Lev 4:35  And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

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The high priest - "the priest that is anointed" - officiated at the sacrifice of confession for CORPORATE  guilt (4:5, 16), while the common priest officiated in the sacrifice brought by the RULER or COMMON PERSON (4:25, 30, 34).

(((Lev 4:5  And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation

Lev 4:16  And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:

Lev 4:25  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.

Lev 4:30  And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.

Lev 4:34  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar: ))))


The APPLICATION of the blood of the sacrifice varied.

The blood of the offering confessing CORPORATE GUILT was taken WITHIN the sanctuary, and sprinkled BEFORE THE VEIL separating between the holy and most holy place, and a record was made by placing some of the blood on the HORNS of "the altar of sweet incense before the Lord" (4:6-7, 17-18).

(((Lev 4:6  And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.
Lev 4:7  And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Lev 4:17  And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the vail.
Lev 4:18  And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. ))))

In the case of the INDIVIDUAL  sin offering, whether offered by ruler or common person, the blood was NOT taken into the sanctuary, but the common priest marked the record of confession in blood on the HORNS of the Altar in the COURT(4:25, 30, 34), and ATE a small bite of the sacrifice (6:25-26).

(((Lev 4:25  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.

Lev 4:30  And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.

Lev 4:34  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar))))

In all four categories of these sin offerings the remaining blood was poured at the base of the Altar of Burnt Offering (4:7, 18, 25, 30, and 34). In the sacrifice of the sin offerings, the focus was centered around the Altar of Burnt Offering in the Court, NOT IN THE SANCTARY.

(((Lev 4:7  And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Lev 4:18  And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Lev 4:25  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.

Lev 4:34  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar))))

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The focus of the Christian faith is centered in the CROSS set up on earth upon which the Lamb of God was offered in making provision for the sin of the world.

It was the Word made flesh Who provided the atonement by which forgiveness can be offered.

He, as a COMMON PRIEST, officiated in the sacrifice of Himself for the individual who would come to Him in confession of sin.

It was the atonement of the cross which provided the forgiveness.

But the sinner requires more than forgiveness; he needs to be cleansed (I John 1:9).

(((1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ))))

This must await His ministry as HIGH PRIEST in "the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Heb. 8:1-2).

(((Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. ))))

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It's time to pause again and digest a bit of what we've just read.

Four categories of people, four different applications, services for these four categories.  How dare we ever imagine that they don't matter at all.

Throughout the entire Old Testament we've read about the corporate accountability of God's people.  The corporate calls to repentance.  The corporate guilt.  Yet we want to imagine that it all has only to do with us as individuals. We want to forget all about the rest of it.  We can't forget. We have to learn.  We are given lessons so we do learn. The entire Bible is ours for learning and if we don't learn from it all we have only ourselves to blame.

Where is the importance in all this sanctuary, sin, blood, priests, rulers, individuals, congregations stuff? 

Remember there is a HEAVENLY SANCTUARY where our SAVIOR is RIGHT NOW!  Do you know where He is at in the heavenly sanctuary? Do you know what He is doing in the heavenly sanctuary?  Do you know what He's done already? These are the questions we have to ask and find answers for.  All that we are learning here, all these FACTS are all important and by the grace of our LORD we will find understanding.   We must remember the things done here in the earthly sanctuary were done after the pattern, the example of things in the heavenly sanctuary.

Please LORD give us understanding! 

All by YOUR amazing love and grace!

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