Prepare to Be Poured
/“Fill me up and pour me out. Fill me up and pour me out. Fill me up and pour me out. Fill me up and pour me out.”
Concepts/ thoughts
Drink offering
Signs and wonders
The gospel
The changed heart
Pouring out of self
Looking like Jesus
Loving like Jesus
Acting like Jesus
**** the house of God and the people of God
One main thought tonight is how do you view the house of God and the people of God? I wonder sometimes how people view the house of God and the people of God. Do they want to come to the house of God? Do they want to be around the people of God? Do they look forward to these times and opportunities or is it more of a chore, a responsibility and an irritation?
And if it does feel like a chore or irritation is it because something is wrong with the church or the people that are in that particular church? Or does it mean something is wrong with the heart of the individual that is feeling that certain way?
Those are all good questions and maybe in each case, there is some of both, but it seems like the spiritually mature would be able to discern that if they feel a certain way in their hearts towards a brother or sister in the Lord, that they would be able to recognize that Jesus doesn’t feel that way unless the person is causing harm to His body.
It is likely that many people see church activities as a waste of time. For the Old Testament worshipper and the early church believer, their lives were not just built around the things of God, their lives were the things of God. Their lives were their worship and they gave their lives in worship to God.
Specifically, in the sacrifices that were offered to God by the worshipper, they were literally a sacrifice because not only was the animal a sacrifice towards God in that it died a death, but the animal was the worshipper’s property. The main sacrifice that I want to highlight tonight is not a blood sacrifice; instead, it’s the drink offering. The purpose is not based on importance of types of sacrifice; rather, in a sense, while all the sacrifices in some way reflect the Lord, the drink offering in some ways reflects the life of the believer.
Before we attempt to unpack the significance of the drink offering sacrifice and how it could possibly relate to our lives, let’s first look at the vessel that will contain whatever is to be poured out. For the literal drink offering, it was a vessel that could hold a hin of wine, which some measurements say was approximately 1 gallon of liquid, which at least a portion of was poured upon the whole burnt offering.
But in our case tonight, we are the drink offering and we are the vessel.
Again, we will first look at the vessel in question, which is you and I:
Ephesians 2:10 ESV
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Proverbs 25:4 ESV
Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;
A preparation of the heart to mold it to certain specifications, so it can be utilized by God the way that He wants it to be used.
If the animal sacrifices represent in some ways the livelihood and substance of the worshipper in that it cost them personally something, the drink offering has an added element in that not only was it planted and cultivated and harvested, but it had to be processed in order to produce the final product and then it was poured out upon the altar.
All that work, and then it was suddenly gone in a whiff of vapor. How wasteful this must have seemed to a heart of stone and not of flesh that could not feel the heartbeat of God and was only consumed with his personal interests and wealth. This is probably the way that many people feel about the house of God or spending time with the people of God… this is a waste of time. I could be sleeping, I could be watching a video, I could be doing something else….
But how much more of a shame is it when not just a hin of wine, but a whole LIFE has been wasted! Can you imagine, that your whole LIFE would be like a “hin of wine” – all the years of your life, spilled out and wasted for what seems like no good purpose? And yet that is actually the way that most people live their lives! Boats and trucks, nicer houses and job promotions…
People that live focused on these things might look at someone like the Apostle Paul and say, “Man, you’re a fool for pouring your life out” – but the truth is, ALL HUMANS are pouring THEIR lives out in some way! Their house note, car note, the time they spend on Google, Snapchat, Instagram, or YouTube. Their days are slipping by; their lives are being poured out. A “pouring out” is actually inevitable! ALL our lives are being poured out in one way or another.
So we will either pour our lives out for God and His kingdom, or we will pour our lives out on ourselves, and there are countless people sitting in churches 2 or more times per week that are still pouring their lives out on themselves while thinking that they’re pouring their lives out for God.
Deuteronomy 16:16
“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.
Deuteronomy 16:17
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.
What you had, had been given to you, and it was given back to God in worship. What He asked was obeyed. My focus is on the drink offering, which was a hin of wine, which is approximately a gallon of wine that would be poured out upon the sacrifice of the whole burnt offering:
Exodus 20:24
An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
Exodus 29:41
The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
The drink offering was poured out onto the sacrifice and it caused a vapor to rise into the air, and certain of these types of sacrifices were labeled as resulting in a sweet smelling savour unto the lord. Is your life a drink offering, are you being poured out, and are you a sweet smelling savour unto the Lord? When we allow the Holy Spirit to produce Jesus’ life in us, a life of love, true forgiveness and faith, then we become a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord.
Matthew 25:14-30– Parable of the talents
We aren’t going to go there now, but it’s just the thought that God distributed and some gave more in return but one had nothing to give back but what he had already been given. In the world what you pour out or spend is really gone, even if you gained an earthly possession through your purchase, it’s not going to last. Many times even when people give to the kingdom of God, their motivation is more about the scriptures that talk about God giving back to them in return then the thoughts about how it will bless other believers and help lead others to faith in Christ— I have heard people say this before, “When I used to give here, I was blessed. Now, that I give here, I’m no longer blessed.” But would never consider that the possibility that doing shady things with their money or a wrong heart posture towards money is the real reason that they were going through the financial test that they were facing.
Christian service is not all about money. What about time? What about fellowship? If coming to church is a chore to you, honestly, you need to find a new church, or else you need to find a new heart. If you don’t desire to be in the house of God, with the people of God, something is wrong.
Acts 2:42-47
I don’t want your house and I don’t want your car, but I do want your love and I do want your gift to result in unity and love for the body of Christ and not for it to result in selfishness and division in the body of Christ.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Everyone has opinions on their definition of a sign and wonder. The gospel of Jesus changes a person from thinking only about themselves and what they want, to thinking about Jesus, realizing how He lived His life, and in turn, through the Spirit wanting to be like Him, wanting His nature to be produced in them. This is a sign and a wonder, a heart change, a gospel that results in a heart change where people truly love people and want people to experience the life changing power of the gospel, so that Jesus receives His glory and honor.
John 13:34-35 AMP
34 I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another.
35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times?
22 Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!
23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a human king who wished to settle accounts with his attendants.
24 When he began the accounting, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents [probably about $10,000,000],
25 And because he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made.
26 So the attendant fell on his knees, begging him, Have patience with me and I will pay you everything.
27 And his master’s heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave him [cancelling] the debt.
28 But that same attendant, as he went out, found one of his fellow attendants who owed him a hundred denarii [about twenty dollars]; and he caught him by the throat and said, Pay what you owe!
29 So his fellow attendant fell down and begged him earnestly, Give me time, and I will pay you all!
30 But he was unwilling, and he went out and had him put in prison till he should pay the debt.
31 When his fellow attendants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and told everything that had taken place to their master.
32 Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to.
33 And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you?
34 And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed.
35 So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses.
The problem here is an issue of the heart. This is part of pouring oneself out. We can say that we forgive but if we have animosity in our hearts towards one another, then we haven’t forgiven and we haven’t loved. But they owe me money. Yes, they do, and if you let them borrow money, you have a right to ask for your money, but once they don’t intend to pay you and you realize that, what will you do? Will you hit them? Cuss them? Scream at them? Sue them? I mean according to the legal system you may have a right to sue them, but what does this do to your heart?