Saturday, October 24, 2015

What's In Your Water? Part 9 Of 9

What's in your Water?  

Exodus 15:23-25  "Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.  And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”   So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet."

 
Now, we finally get to the content of the water. 

We've been studying the law concerning the ashes of the red heifer and how it pertains to water.  But there are two kinds of water.  

According to the Word of God, all of the words preached from the pulpit are not necessarily the "waters that PURIFY AND BRING LIFE."  Some, unfortunately, bring sickness and death, like the waters of Marah.  Marah means "Bitter," in Hebrew.  
Just because someone is preaching from the Bible does not mean their words will minister grace to the hearers.  Some minister the condemnation of the law.

If you are not hearing that you are beloved of the Father, that even though you fail, you are the righteousness of God in Christ or that God is displeased or somehow angry with you, your pastor is using the waters that bring a curse, not the water that cleanses and purifies.  He or she is sprinkling you with the waters of Marah that bring the curse.
 
(Sweetening the waters of Marah.)
    
Remember Marah?  After they left Egypt, Israel was brought out with signs, wonders and great miracles.  They passed through the Red Sea, a most AWESOME display of God's power, and three days they find they have no water.  They came to a place called "Marah."  

This same Hebrew word for bitter is used in the passage in Numbers 5 concerning the law of jealousy which said if a husband became jealous thinking that his wife had been unfaithful to him, he brought her to the priest.  He would write the CURSES OF THE LAW in a book, scrape them into a vessel of water making them "bitter: Marah."  The woman had to drink from it and, if she was guilty, her belly would swell, her thigh would rot and she would be a curse among the people.  (Sounds like cancer, doesn't it?)  But if she was innocent, she would be free of any curse and able to bear children.

What are the BITTER WATERS that bring a curse?  THE LAW. How did the water of Marah become sweet?  God told them to throw in a tree, a picture of the cross!  

GOD'S ANSWER IS ALWAYS THE CROSS!!!  

As for the water that cleanses, it goes far beyond merely cleansing of moral and spiritual "dust."  Jesus calls us His bride as the verse in Ephesians  says.  At one time "the bride" was all Jewish.  Today it is predominantly non-Jews, (formerly Gentiles).  Remember the story of Joseph?  He married a Gentile bride during his time of rejection in Egypt.
 

How are we cleansed and made whole?  
**THIS IS SOMETHING THE DEVIL DOES NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW.**

WE ARE MADE WHOLE INSIDE AND OUT BY WATER CONTAINING THE ASHES OF THE RED HEIFER!  

The words that we speak to each other or preach to the Church must be words that contain no judgment or condemnation.  THEY MUST BE WORDS ABOUT THE FINISHED WORK:  The ashes of the red heifer!!!  

If you understand this, you understand what Solomon didn't understand.   Understand?
 
 
The devil hates a Church that regularly washes with the water of the word!  He has no answer to them.  You see, evil spirits love dry, dusty places, not well-watered ones.

Jesus illustrates the relationship between Himself and His Church by using the relationship between a husband and wife.  We are cleansed both inside...no spiritual SPOT...and outside...No physical WRINKLE.  Wrinkle is also a sign of old age.  In other words, physically and spiritually whole and healthy. 
 
Remember the red heifer had to be clean inside and no yoke outside?  That is what the water of the word containing the ashes does for us today.  It cleanses our bodies of disease and washes the dust of this life off our feet.  We call it "dust" because God said to the serpent that he would crawl on his belly and eat "dust" all his life. The extent to which you have "DUST" clinging to you is the extent to which you are DEVOURABLE. 
  
 
 So when ol' slimy comes to you and starts talking to you about your sins--your DUNG--remind him that yours have already been judged--BURNED TO ASHES--and you have been declared righteous!  There is no more judgment of any kind for you either in this world or the next.  

Sin/sickness both required that the "UNclean" person go through a "cleansing" process. (See my post on the law of leprosy in Leviticus:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/02/see-jesus-love-for-us-in-book-of.html)
Make sure you wash daily with the water of the word containing the ashes of the red heifer.  


 ...and finally, The Cleansing Process.
 

Numbers 19:18 "A CLEAN PERSON shall take HYSSOP and DIP IT IN THE WATER, SPRINKLE IT on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave."

The water was applied in the Old Testament sprinkling the unclean person with Hyssop dipped in the water containing the ashes of the red heifer.  Hyssop is the smallest vegetation in Israel; the smallest member of our body, according to scripture, is the tongue.  See James 3:5


So.....take the hyssop:  your tongue, dip it in the water: the words of God containing the ashes of the red heifer--grace-filled words, and sprinkle it liberally over yourself, over your family, over you loved ones and friends.  

Do it daily.  Do it often.  Apply liberally.  

This is how believers today apply the law concerning the Ashes of the Red Heifer. We must make sure we are not using the "waters of Marah" containing bitterness and condemnation of the law.  It must contain grace-filled words. 

If you got through all nine parts, you now know not only something Solomon couldn't figure out but also why he was so baffled.

I hope you now understand, also, why it is of utmost importance that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER!


What's In Your Water? Part 8 Of 9

2 Corinthians 3:7-11  
“But if the ministry of death, WRITTEN AND ENGRAVED ON STONES, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the MINISTRY OF CONDEMNATION had glory, the MINISTRY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS EXCEEDS MUCH MORE IN GLORY. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.”   


We discussed in part 1 that there are 613 laws in all which includes the big Ten.  The only part of all those laws that was "WRITTEN AND ENGRAVED ON STONES" was the ten commandments.  
We also discussed in an earlier portion that, though laws are recorded in the book of Leviticus, what puzzled King Solomon was this law about the red heifer is NOT recorded there.

When the devil comes to attack us he uses the law.  Unfortunately, he gets a lot of help from the pulpit however unwitting.  He whispers that you've done this or you haven't done that OR that you didn't do enough of this or enough of that.  It never ends.  He uses the law to try and accuse us and put us under condemnation.  He knows full well that when we feel condemned, guilt comes in, then fear, then stress and, ultimately, death
That's why, in the opening verse, Paul calls the law "the Ministry of death."   

Water containing the ashes of the heifer under the Old Testament could only clean a person on the outside, meaning they were only physically healed.  Under the New Covenant we have both inside AND outside cleansing, meaning Jesus heals us inside--morally/spiritually--and outside--physically, making us WHOLE AND HEALTHY.

These words, "spĂ­los and rhytis" refer to both physical AND spiritual spots and wrinkles, meaning we are healed of diseases and infirmities both inside and outside that might come from hearing law-centric teaching or from worries and cares.
 
  
In the upper room, when Jesus washed the disciple's feet, Peter, who always felt he had to open his mouth, asked Jesus to wash not only his feet but his head and hands.  Well, hands imply work.  That's why in the Old Testament they washed their hands AND their feet.  But under the new covenant THE WORK IS FINISHED!  No need to wash our hands.  We already HAVE CLEAN HANDS AND A PURE HEART.  His blood took care of that.

The Lord replied to Peter in John 13:6-8 “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."  
 

Peter replied to Jesus "....You shall never wash my feet!”  Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part WITH ME."    

He did not say that Peter would have no part "IN ME," implying salvation, but "WITH ME," implying a walk.  

Once you have been CLEANSED by the blood of Jesus, the ONCE-AND-FOR-ALL bath, you are COMPLETELY CLEAN.  You don't ever again need to be bathed in the blood of Jesus. You cannot be born again and again and again. There is no such thing as being bathed and re-bathed and re-bathed in the blood.  Once you have been cleansed by the once-for-all bath, YOU ARE COMPLETELY CLEAN.  
YOU ONLY NEED TO WASH YOUR FEET.        

You see, as you walk through life, things begin to attach to you like dust:  Worrisome thoughts, doubts, fears; you see things you shouldn't see, you hear things you shouldn't hear.  All these things can begin to cling to you, make feel dirty.  You become defiled in a sense, though you are still completely clean before God.  Since you have already been bathed in the blood of Jesus, you only need to wash the "dust" off your feet with the water of the word. 


  
You are always IN Jesus.  But in order to walk in sync WITH Jesus, you need to wash the dust of the world off your feet. Otherwise you'll be either ahead or behind.  That's why Jesus said, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is COMPLETELY CLEAN;”

How do you wash your feet?  As you read the words of this study or listen to anointed preaching (anointed being the OPERATIVE word) or read a grace-based book, Jesus is working through me or the preacher or your book to cleanse you and sanctify you by the WASHING of WATER by the word. 

Don't have some religious idea of sanctification.  The word simply means "to make holy; to set apart."  To be set apart means we are separated "FROM "something "UNTO" something else.  For example: You are separated "FROM" sickness "UNTO" health; "FROM" confusion "UNTO" peace; "FROM" poverty, the curse in the world, "UNTO" abundance!"  AMEN!  

This is why God's people are peculiar. When the world is stressed, we are at peace. When they're going through a crisis, we are not going through any crisis. When they're lacking we have abundance.  
 
Please proceed to part 9.

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-in-your-water-part-9-of-9.html?m=1

Friday, October 23, 2015

What's In Your Water? Part 7 Of 9

Numbers 19:17-22
"And for an UNCLEAN (PERSON) they shall take some of the ASHES OF THE HEIFER burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel.  A CLEAN PERSON shall take HYSSOP and DIP IT IN THE WATER, SPRINKLE IT on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave.  
The CLEAN PERSON SHALL SPRINKLE THE UNCLEAN on the THIRD DAY and on the SEVENTH DAY; and on the SEVENTH DAY he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.

20 ‘BUT THE MAN WHO IS UNCLEAN AND DOES NOT PURIFY HIMSELF, THAT PERSON SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM AMONG THE ASSEMBLY, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. 22 Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’"


Here we go again with more cryptic phrases.  The ashes of the red heifer has several phrases that are puzzling as you have discovered if you've been following along in this study.  More reasons why Solomon was confused. 

What is all this "clean" and "unclean" business?  God says it must be a "clean person" who sprinkles the WATER MIXED WITH ASHES ON THE UNCLEAN PERSON TO PURIFY HIM.  The UNclean cannot clean himself.  

Who is this clean person?  One who has been washed by the blood of Jesus!  A saved individual!  Only a clean person can preach the gospel to the unsaved.  IT'S MISSIONS!  

But it isn't only about reaching the lost.  The Church needs this water; yes, saved individuals. 
 
(Two Cherubim at the empty tomb.)


NEW COVENANT APPLICATION.    
Here's how this law applies to the Church today.

In part 1 we discussed that this law is mentioned in the book of Hebrews.  This is the passage below: 
Hebrews 9:11-15
"...Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but WITH HIS OWN BLOOD He entered the Most Holy Place ONCE FOR ALL, having obtained ETERNAL redemption. 
For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ASHES OF A HEIFER (see Numbers 19), sprinkling {with water} the UNCLEAN, sanctifies for the PURIFYING OF THE FLESH {Sarx:  flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.}, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, CLEANSE {with water} YOUR CONSCIENCE FROM DEAD WORKS to serve the living God?    
"And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the ETERNAL INHERITANCE."
 
(The Apostle Paul)

The Apostle Paul was given the full-up revelation of the gospel by Jesus Himself.  Hebrews,  which most scholars believe he wrote, is a wealth of resource for interpreting the Old Testament.  It can help us understand the shadows and types hidden there.  Bet Solomon would have loved to have gotten his hands on it! 

JESUS IS THE KEY that unlocks ALL mysteries.  Remember the upper room feet washing when they only understood the physical act?  What Paul taught them in Hebrews helped them finally understand the spiritual truth that they did not grasp in the upper room which is "THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD." 
The content of the water is key.  

In Ephesians 5:25-27 Christ uses the water of the word like this:  "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY AND CLEANSE HER WITH THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD..."      

Why does Jesus have to cleanse us if we are already clean, washed in the perfect blood of the Lamb?   "...that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, NOT HAVING SPOT {spĂ­los} OR WRINKLE {rhytĂ­s} or any such thing, but that she should be HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH." 

The word in Greek for spot in this passage is "spĂ­los," meaning an actual stain or spot or, in a figurative sense, a moral or spiritual fault or blemish.  Moral and spiritual stains or spots come from living outside God's preferred-will.  The word for wrinkle is "rhytĂ­s" which means "bunched up, contracted; a wrinkle.  What is a wrinkle?  A sign of old age.

This is not only spiritual or moral cleansing but PHYSICAL HEALING as well.  Remember in the passage from Hebrews where Paul said this water "sanctifies for the PURIFYING OF THE FLESH?"  What happens when you fall prey to law-centric teaching?  You come back under the yoke of bondage, condemnation and fear of punishment and death.  The "dust" of such deadly teaching attaches.  YOU NEED TO WASH IT OFF or your wI'll eventually become sick.  Condemnation ultimately kills.....LITERALLY.

Please proceed to part 8.

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-in-your-water-part-8-of-9.html?m=1

What's In Your Water? Part 6 Of 9

Numbers 19: 9-16
“Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the WATER OF PURIFICATION;  it is for PURIFYING FROM SIN.  And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be UNCLEAN UNTIL EVENING.  It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.   

"He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be UNCLEAN SEVEN DAYS.  He shall purify himself with the water ON THE THRID DAY and on the SEVENTH DAY; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself ON THE THIRD DAY and on THE SEVENTH DAY, he will not be clean.  Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the WATER OF PURIFICATION WAS NOT SPRINKLED on him; his uncleanness is still on him."
"This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be UNCLEAN SEVEN DAYS;  and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean.  Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be UNCLEAN SEVEN DAYS."    
 

In this part of the law of the ashes of the red heifer are two more cryptic phrases.
Just like in part 5 where we discussed the phrase "unclean until evening," these two phrases:  "ON THE THIRD DAY" and "ON THE SEVENTH DAY" appear in many places. 

What do they mean?  Simply this:  Jesus rose from the dead ON THE THIRD DAY.  Anyone who puts their trust in Him as their Savior and Lord is born again and will be ready when He returns ON THE SEVENTH DAY--the second coming--to set up His visible kingdom, His millennial rule.  Those who have not accepted Jesus as Savior will be unclean, meaning UNsaved, on the SEVENTH DAY and be cut off.  Judgment at that time will be pronounced and they will face an eternity cut off from God.
 
(Jesus returns with ten thousands of His saints.]

Before Jesus returns to earth He will rapture those who have washed themselves on the 3rd day. But after we are gone, many others will come to faith in Christ during the seven year period of tribulation.  Life will be very hard for them, however.  They also will be ready on the 7th day when Jesus returns.....with us in tow I might add!

Please proceed to part 7.

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-in-your-water-part-7-of-9.html?m=1

What's In Your Water? Part 5 Of 9

Numbers 19: 7-8
"The priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be UNCLEAN UNTIL EVENING.  And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be UNCLEAN UNTIL EVENING". 
 
 
 

In the course of preparing the ashes of the red heifer, everyone involved was "UNCLEAN UNTIL EVENING:"  Did you ever come across this phrase wonder what it meant?  
Here it is in a nutshell.  
The Jewish priests offered both a morning and an evening sacrifice every day for 1500 years.  The morning one was offered at 9am.  Evening, Hebrew time, was 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  That's when they offered the evening sacrifice. 

THE EVENING SACRIFICE IS THE ONE THAT FINISHES.

When the Roman soldiers drove that first nail into our Savior's hand, know what time it was? PRECISELY 9AM.
 

At exactly 3PM--the time of the evening sacrifice--He cried out with a LOUD voice, "FINISHED!"  Jesus dismissed His spirit and died.
 
He is the PERFECT SACRIFICE THAT FINISHES!  He fulfilled both the morning and the evening sacrifices on that day!  No more sacrifices ever need to be offered, ever.
IT IS FINISHED!  

 
He is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end, the Author and the Finisher of our faith!  Today, you and I don't have to wait until evening to be clean because Jesus has shed His precious blood, the forever evening sacrifice.  His FINISHED WORK is behind us.  WE ARE FOREVER CLEAN!    

What was the work that He finished?  Jesus fulfilled ALL THE LAW. He Himself said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law.  I did not come to destroy (the law) but to FULFILL. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is FULFILLED.”  Matthew 5:17-18

Tell me, Church:  Have heaven and earth passed away?  No.....not that I've noticed anyway; and guess what?  ALL HAS BEEN FULFILLED.  Abba ripped that veil of the temple that separated us and now, when we accept His free gift of righteousness, we can have full and free fellowship with Him forever!!!

 

Many pastors of mainline churches miss it right here.  They mistakenly believe that we are still under the law because heaven and earth have not passed away.  They misunderstand what Jesus said, and I quote:  "till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law TILL ALL IS FULFILLED."  I think they are confused by the "all was fulfilled" part.

ALL--meaning all the Law--WAS FULFILLED AT THE CROSS.  Not one jot or one tittle was overlooked.....and heaven and earth, as I said, are still with us.  That's why Paul was able to say in many places, "You are NOT under law, but under GRACE."

Contrary to popular Christian opinion, it is LAW which produces licentiousness.  Grace is the antidote for sin.  They have it backwards.  The devil was defeated at the cross AND the law was nailed to it!  

YOU CANNOT OUT SIN GOD'S GRACE.  It is GREATER than ALL our sin!
(For more on this this topic, follow these links:  
 

That was part of the purpose for Jesus' death on the cross.  He restored the law to it's pristine standard, left no stone unturned--no jot or title omitted--fulfilled ALL the law as 100% man, OVERpayed all the penalty for our sins and FULLY SATISFIED the justice of our Father.  

That's why He was able to cry "FINISHED!"  
That's why His Father had a legal basis to raise Him from the dead.

Ok, rant over.  Back to the red heifer.  Please proceed to part 6.

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-in-your-water-part-6-of-9.html?m=1

What's In Your Water? Part 4 Of 9

Numbers 19:6
“And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.”
 
(Priest prepares to put cedar, hyssop and scarlet into the fire)

This part of the law concerning the ashes of the red heifer must have really stumped Solomon.  Why, while the sacrifice was being burned, did the priest have to throw in these items and then burn everything until it was ASHES?  What a puzzle!

Solomon was actually quite knowledgeable about all kinds of trees according to 1 Kings 4.  But remember, he didn't have the Key:  Jesus.  He couldn't have known that cedar and hyssop represent His majesty and lowliness, respectively.
These three things also depict the greatest to the smallest of things in nature and scarlet the glory thereof.  When the priest threw them into the fire, symbolically all of the greatest to the smallest and the glory of man's righteous deeds were burned until they were reduced to ASHES.     

The Bible says that all our righteousnesses (plural) are as filthy rags in Isaiah 64.  These three items being burned to ash symbolize that, because we have died with Christ, we are dead to the world and the world unto us.  
The Apostle Paul himself said that he counted his past as dung, referring to his self-righteousness not only his misdeeds.  Before his conversion as you know, he was the epitomĂ© of self-righteousness; a Pharisee of Pharisses.  He followed the law to the letter... or so he thought. All that he now counted as dung.

 
Anything that has been reduced to ashes CAN NEVER BE BURNED AGAIN, meaning the fire--the judgment--has already gone through it.  THERE IS NO JUDGMENT LEFT.
That's what happened to the sins of your a ENTIRE LIFE the moment you were born again:  THEY WERE REDUCED TO ASHES!  It's a picture of Romans 8:1.  It is why God can legally declare you righteous.  He CANNOT reprove you.  He cannot because you stand in the perfection of His Son.  His death was an OVERpayment!  God would be UNjust to Him if He punished you for the sins that Jesus already paid for 2,000 years ago.

Know what that means?  For the believer, ALL JUDGMENT--even death--is behind you!  Your physical body may cease to exist but you and I go on to live forever with Jesus, forever young, forever healthy, forever happy...FOREVER!

Please proceed to part 5.

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-in-your-water-part-5-of-9.html?m=1

What's In Your Water? Part 3 Of 9

Numbers 19: 5
"Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned."
 
 
We've been studying the law concerning the ashes of the red heifer.  It was an ordinance that the wisest man in the Old Testament, King Solomon, was unable to decipher.  This portion describes another of the reasons for his confusion.

The book of Leviticus is where Jewish laws are recorded. There are five separate offerings listed there.   All of them describe a different aspect of Jesus' one perfect sacrifice.  They are:

#1. Burnt offering 
Here we have the highest aspect of the work of Christ where He is seen offering Himself up entirely to God to do His will even unto death. The whole offering, except the skin of the animal, was burnt upon the altar and all went up to God as a sweet savour. It pictures Christ who gave Himself as "a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour" (Eph. 5:2). CHRIST IS NOT SEEN HERE AS BEARING OUR SINS, but as accomplishing the Father's will, glorifying Him and vindicating the holiness and majesty of His throne. This theme is especially prominent in John's Gospel and in Psalm 40.

#2. Grain offering   
This offering typifies Christ as the PERFECT AND SINLESS MAN and presents to us His wonderful Person and His spotless life which was ever an offering of a SWEET SAVOR UNTO GOD. There was no shedding of blood in this offering so it speaks of the perfections of Christ's Person and life rather than of His death. The fine flour pictures His sinless humanity with its evenness of moral qualities, the oil pictures the grace and power of the Holy Spirit which characterized His life, while the frankincense is emblematic of the sweetness and fragrance of His Person and life.

#3. Peace offering 
This was also an offering of a SWEET SAVOR TO GOD. The blood, the fat and the kidneys of the offering were put upon the altar as "the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord" (Lev. 3:11). This was God's part. Then the breast was given to Aaron and his sons and the right shoulder to the offering priest. This was man's part. Thus God and man both fed on the same offering which speaks of communion and fellowship and typifies the communion which the believer in Christ enjoys with God on the ground of the work of Christ at the cross and His blood shed there for our sins. We are at peace with God through the work of the cross and can feed upon Christ in fellowship with the Father. Luke's Gospel and Psalm 85 especially present this theme.

#4. Sin offering    
We come now to the NON-SWEET SAVOR offerings. The special feature of this offering is in the whole bullock, including it's offal, being burnt upon the ground outside the camp of Israel after the blood and fat were put upon the altar for God. This offering was for sin and pictures to us Christ who was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and endured the judgment and wrath of God against sin in our stead as our substitute. The holiness of God and the awfulness of sin are brought out in the bullock being entirely burnt up OUTSIDE THE CAMP. It pictures CHRIST, FORSAKEN OF GOD, AS OUR SIN-BEARER as given in Psalm 22 and Mark's Gospel.

#5. Trespass offering 
Here sin is looked at as a trespass against the government of God. Amends had to be made for the wrong done and the fifth part added to it. Atonement was made by the blood of the offering, and the trespasser was forgiven. This offering PRESENTS CHRIST WHO DIED FOR OUR SINS AND TRESPASSES on the cross restoring that which He took not away (Ps. 69:4). He has not only answered to God for our sins and paid our debt by His shed blood, but has added the fifth part, as it were, bringing more glory to God and more blessings to man than were had before sin was committed. This is the first view the sinner gets of the Cross of Christ. Psalm 69 and Matthew's Gospel present this aspect of the offering of Christ.




Notice anything missing?  No doubt Solomon noticed it too and was completely baffled.  Though this ordinance is a law about a sacrifice, IT ISN'T RECORDED IN LEVITICUS.  Very strange!  It only appears in Numbers.  Why?  
Numbers is all about the wilderness journey.  Right now, the Church is in the wilderness; we are on a journey.  This law describes a critical element for our blessing and success while we are here in the wilderness.  Believers are IN the world but we are no longer OF the world, and until we meet Jesus face to face, we need all the help we can get!
 
This offering, just like the sin offering found in Levitucus, contained "offal."  That is what made it a sin offering as opposed to a burnt offering.  What is "OFFAL?  A very polite English word for "dung."  The BURNT OFFERING where Jesus' perfection is offered TO the Father on our behalf does not contain any "offal."  The sin offering and the red heifer offering both represent Jesus WHEN HE CARRIED OUR SINS ON THE CROSS.

The dung didn't come from The Victim; it came from us.  He Who knew no sin and did no sin, took ALL our sins upon Himself and was punished for ALL OF THEM in His own body.  All the judgment, all the wrath and all the righteous indignation that we deserved, He took in our place so that we would be spared.    

When we receive His GIFT of righteousness, we get the good we don't deserve because Another took ALL THE BAD we do deserve.  THAT'S GRACE!  That's the Gospel!  That really is GOOD NEWS!


Please proceed to part 4.

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-in-your-water-part-4-of-9.html?m=1

Sunday, October 18, 2015

What's In Your Water? Part 2 Of 9

Numbers 19:1-2 
The Ashes of the Red Heifer
“Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come.”
 
In part one of this series, we discussed why this law has to do with water and that Solomon, in all his wisdom, was unable to decipher this particular law.  Since it concerns water, perhaps a little review will be helpful.  
 
 
In the upper room Jesus demonstrated to His disciples that they must wash each other's feet.  He wasn't suggesting the literal washing of feet, you understand.  Nothing wrong with the practice mind you, but Jesus said to them that what He was doing at that time they wouldn't understand but would later on.  Thay tells you it was a symbolic act because what they understood at that time was ONLY the washing "physically."  

This cryptic law is about what that water must contain.  From here on out, that's what we'll be discussing.

 
(Offering of the Red Heifer)
 
The Israelites had to bring to the priest not just any animal.  It had to be a RED heifer IN WHICH was no defect and ON WHICH a yoke had never come.  

A heifer is a young cow.  The red color depicts Jesus' sacrifice.  It could have no defect IN it nor could it ever have had a yoke ON it.  In other words, inwardly without blemish; outwardly no slavery.  
That's Jesus!  He's the freest af all people:  Free INside, no slavery ON the outside.

Why a cow?  Because female denotes application subjectivness.  In other words "man-ward."  Male typifies "God-ward."  This law is FOR MAN, for his benefit, to cleanse him on a daily basis, not an offering TO GOD.

 (Cedar, Hyssop and Scarlet thrown in by priest)
 
They killed it outside the camp in front of the priest, then burned it until it became ashes.  While it was burning they had to throw in CEDAR, HYSSOP AND SCARLET.  The ashes were then stored in a clean vessel outside the camp to be used when a person touched anything dead.  Everyone involved in this preparation had to wash their clothes and were considered UNCLEAN UNTIL EVENING.  (Remember this phrase for later.)

It was killed ouside the camp because it was a sin sacrifice.  That's why Jesus, Who became sin, was crucified OUTSIDE the walls of Jerusalem.  He took our sins on Himself and paid for them IN HIS BODY.  His Spirit remained UNTOUCHED.  Our sins were placed on Him like a garment.  

 

He was literally the Offerer and the Offering!  He paid a debt He did not owe for us who owed a debt we could not pay.     
(For more on this topic, follow the link below:
http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/09/victima.html?m=1)
 
Numbers 19:4
"...and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood SEVEN TIMES directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting."
 
Seven in Hebrew numerics means "completeness or perfection."  Sprinkling the blood seven times is a depiction of the PERFECT blood of Jesus.  You and I only need ONE APPLICATION of His blood because it is PERFECT.  We are perfectly, eternally and COMPLETELY cleansed from all sin;  YES, for our entire life, even those we have not yet committed.  
 

Contrary to popular Christian opinion, this does not lead to licentiousness.  It is a lack of understanding how forgiven we are that causes people to live in bondage; that causes people to live a sinful lifestyle.  

You don't combat sin by telling people a lot of do's and don'ts.  That is law, which ends in death.  The antidote is grace.

It is the Law that gives strength to sin.  Grace is greater. You cannot out sin God's grace!

Now, whenever you do commit any sin, you recognize it, confess it to God not to be forgiven, but because you already are.  Confessing you are the righteousness of God in Christ is what will cause that sin or bad habit not to have control over your any more.

Please proceed to part 3. 

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-in-your-water-part-3-of-9.html?m=1