February 23rd, 2022
Have you ever really thought about what it means to be devoted to someone or something? We would probably define it as being loyal. In the Old Testament, the word devoted is used many times—and not usually about people. It referred to offerings dedicated to God that couldn’t be eaten; items of gold and silver which were dedicated for use in the temple; or men that were set apart to God for a particular purpose. The firstborn of everything, both man and animal, was devoted to God. This meant that the firstborn of clean animals were given as offerings to God. The firstborn of a family, however, was set apart and consecrated according to this law and, interestingly, had to be redeemed by an offering of silver shekels (Ex. 13:12-15). God said that this was a sign, so that in the days to come they would remember the wonders God wrought when He brought them out of Egypt!
Now, there were many other circumstances in the law that required animal sacrifices to be made. Regardless of the type of offering, though, anything sacrificed to God was to be perfect and without blemish! In Malachi 1:4-8, God actually rebuked His people for bringing careless sacrifices to the altar. He said, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD'S table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.”
He actually said they were polluting Him by offering pitiful sacrifices on the altar. A sacrifice was supposed to be perfect, given to God in love, but they were going through the motions and completely missing the purpose!
You may wonder what this has to do with us today. We don’t offer animal sacrifices anymore, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is no less Holy now than He was then, so what changed? See, the sacrifices were a symbol and a shadow of something to come. After thousands of years of sacrifices being offered on altars over and over again, purifying men before a Holy God, there was a sacrifice so pure, an offering so perfect, it didn’t just cleanse the sins of one man or a nation. This sacrifice was so powerful, offered with such devotion, that all mankind was included in the power of its redemption.
The Bible tells us, if we’ll receive it, that “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Heb. 10:10-14)
Jesus was the only perfect sacrifice that’s ever been given. He lived a pure, spotless life and satisfied the requirement for every offering that would have been necessary for all of mankind from that day forward. Isn’t it interesting, then, that we also are called to be “living sacrifices?” Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
God has always been very particular about that which is offered to Him. He is a Holy God and His Holiness requires purity. We are purified by the blood of Jesus, acceptable to God by the blood of His Only Son, but we have to abide in Him to stay in that purity. Paul wrote to the church of Corinth concerning this very thing. He said, “I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)
We have to take care that we are not led astray from pure devotion to Jesus, because as living sacrifices, purity is a requirement! The blood of Jesus saves and sanctifies us, but we have to choose, daily, to die to ourselves and live in that holiness. James 1:27 says that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Part of pure religion is keeping ourselves unstained by the sin of the world. In the verse above, from the book of Malachi, God said they polluted Him by their lame, blind, pitiful offerings. As living sacrifices, we have a responsibility to keep and guard ourselves, so that we don’t become like those lame, blind offerings!
Psalms 119:9 says,
“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.”
Proverbs 4:23 says,
“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.”
Are we taking care that we are offering ourselves to God in purity, unblemished by the world? In Revelation 3:4, Jesus said to the church in Sardis, after a strong rebuke, “but, you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”
If we keep our garments unstained, our first love burning, and our devotion to Christ pure, we will be found blameless at the day of Jesus Christ. We will walk in joy and victory until He comes. God is a good, loving Father. He is merciful and gracious. He is utterly and completely kind! We cannot ever forget, though, that He is absolutely Holy. The song around the throne is not about His kindness, but His Holiness (Rev. 4:8). He is set apart from anyone and anything else, so good and pure that we cannot come near Him in our own strength or flesh. There is only one way:
“Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth…Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (Rev. 1:5-7)
Let our cry be to see Jesus with enlightened hearts and to understand the power of His pure sacrifice. He died so that we could walk with Him in white, drawing near to the throne of grace, without fear! Let our cry be to walk in pure devotion, absolutely unpolluted, with the One who loves us and gave His all for us. We are the sacrifice God desires. God wants us, not because He needs us, but because He loves us. We are the desire of God’s heart and there is absolutely nothing better than the victory of a life purely devoted to the One who holds the world in the palm of His hand.
Now, there were many other circumstances in the law that required animal sacrifices to be made. Regardless of the type of offering, though, anything sacrificed to God was to be perfect and without blemish! In Malachi 1:4-8, God actually rebuked His people for bringing careless sacrifices to the altar. He said, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD'S table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.”
He actually said they were polluting Him by offering pitiful sacrifices on the altar. A sacrifice was supposed to be perfect, given to God in love, but they were going through the motions and completely missing the purpose!
You may wonder what this has to do with us today. We don’t offer animal sacrifices anymore, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is no less Holy now than He was then, so what changed? See, the sacrifices were a symbol and a shadow of something to come. After thousands of years of sacrifices being offered on altars over and over again, purifying men before a Holy God, there was a sacrifice so pure, an offering so perfect, it didn’t just cleanse the sins of one man or a nation. This sacrifice was so powerful, offered with such devotion, that all mankind was included in the power of its redemption.
The Bible tells us, if we’ll receive it, that “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Heb. 10:10-14)
Jesus was the only perfect sacrifice that’s ever been given. He lived a pure, spotless life and satisfied the requirement for every offering that would have been necessary for all of mankind from that day forward. Isn’t it interesting, then, that we also are called to be “living sacrifices?” Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
God has always been very particular about that which is offered to Him. He is a Holy God and His Holiness requires purity. We are purified by the blood of Jesus, acceptable to God by the blood of His Only Son, but we have to abide in Him to stay in that purity. Paul wrote to the church of Corinth concerning this very thing. He said, “I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)
We have to take care that we are not led astray from pure devotion to Jesus, because as living sacrifices, purity is a requirement! The blood of Jesus saves and sanctifies us, but we have to choose, daily, to die to ourselves and live in that holiness. James 1:27 says that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Part of pure religion is keeping ourselves unstained by the sin of the world. In the verse above, from the book of Malachi, God said they polluted Him by their lame, blind, pitiful offerings. As living sacrifices, we have a responsibility to keep and guard ourselves, so that we don’t become like those lame, blind offerings!
Psalms 119:9 says,
“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.”
Proverbs 4:23 says,
“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.”
Are we taking care that we are offering ourselves to God in purity, unblemished by the world? In Revelation 3:4, Jesus said to the church in Sardis, after a strong rebuke, “but, you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”
If we keep our garments unstained, our first love burning, and our devotion to Christ pure, we will be found blameless at the day of Jesus Christ. We will walk in joy and victory until He comes. God is a good, loving Father. He is merciful and gracious. He is utterly and completely kind! We cannot ever forget, though, that He is absolutely Holy. The song around the throne is not about His kindness, but His Holiness (Rev. 4:8). He is set apart from anyone and anything else, so good and pure that we cannot come near Him in our own strength or flesh. There is only one way:
“Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth…Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (Rev. 1:5-7)
Let our cry be to see Jesus with enlightened hearts and to understand the power of His pure sacrifice. He died so that we could walk with Him in white, drawing near to the throne of grace, without fear! Let our cry be to walk in pure devotion, absolutely unpolluted, with the One who loves us and gave His all for us. We are the sacrifice God desires. God wants us, not because He needs us, but because He loves us. We are the desire of God’s heart and there is absolutely nothing better than the victory of a life purely devoted to the One who holds the world in the palm of His hand.
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