A Body You Have Prepared for Me

God’s plan of love and restoration reveals Jesus, not a cool smiling Jesus with natural highlights from sun exposure, but the Jesus described by the prophet Isaiah. To the world we live in and the untrained ears of most modern day church attenders, the real Jesus is offensive. His words are offensive! Some of His words would exclude Him from the hospitality teams of most modern day churches.

No! God is the offended party! Humanity, God‘s creation has offended him, rejected His plan and rebelled against Him!

But he does have a plan and he has included man in that plan – – he has privileged us with the opportunity to work for him and work with him.

In a sense, He was offended and asked to leave the premises of his creation. But we as His people can welcome Him back one heart at a time, just stay with me as I work through this.

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue (subjection)it, and have dominion (rule over it) over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Through deception, the dominion and authority that was given to man, was lost it in Adam:

Luke 4:5-8

Wait- what? How offensive is that? We are either going to walk in the authority that we have received in Jesus and give Him His glory, or we’re not serving Him, the way He intends.

5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

The whole physical creation is a test: the temporary is a test for eternity:

Matthew 25:14

The Parable of the Talents

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

Adam’s life was a test, our life is a test I have given you my image. I have given you my dominion and authority. What will you do with the opportunity that I have given you?

—Stewardship—

Now God is on the outside of his creation so to speak. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying… He positioned himself this way, because his purpose and plan includes us. He chose us. He purposefully limits Himself in to partner with us in the creation He has given us authority over (Earth). He could’ve started over completely:

Gen 12:7-8

Genesis 8:20-21 and Noah built an altar and offered every clean beast, and it was sweet smelling savor—What are you doing here God?

1.  Flood – he needed a Noah. In order for his plan to continue.

2. Abraham – I will give you a land, make a nation out of you, I will bless all the nations of the earth.

3. Moses – I will destroy them and make a nation out of you

Exodus 32:8-14

• 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

11 But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

A land, a nation— a people for a purpose.

• God positioned on the outside

• God choosing to use humanity

• God sticking to his plan

These truths are elucidated or clarified in this scripture

Leviticus 25:23

Redemption of Property

“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.

• don’t sell my land – I have a plan.

• don’t mess up my covenant I made with Noah.

• don’t mess up my covenant I made with Abraham.

• don’t mess up my agreement with Moses– I almost destroyed you.

Don’t sell my land—it belongs to me but right now, we are strangers in the land together.

And then right there, in the fullness of time, in that land he told them not to sell God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law (Galatians 4:4)

Hebrews 10:4-10 NASB

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats  to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED,

BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; 6 IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO’  PLEASURE. 7 “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’” 8 After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Sacrifices and offerings in a whole burnt offerings for sin you have not desired nor have you taken pleasure in them?

What about the Sweet smelling, what about your food Lord…?

Numbers 29

Annual

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

The bread

The incense

Isaiah 1:18

Can you see his glorious presence? His name is Jesus – he saves his people from their sins. His name is Emmanuel. He is God with us. He is holy and lifted up

Isaiah 6 I see the Lord high and lifted up. He is magnified. He is glorified. Heaven is giving him his glory. The angels are giving him his glory. They are crying to him right now Church. They are saying holy holy holy.

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?