Good Afternoon Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Jesus gave us the criteria to be a disciple of His in John 8:31-32.
John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.
The criteria to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to continue in His Word. The word “continue” is the key. When we look at the Greek, it is the word, “abide.” Abide means “of him who cleaves, holds fast, to a thing.” Further delineation is “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy).” So we can see a disciple is someone who abides in The Word – you camp out in God’s Word and hold fast to His promises – and has an expectancy of The Word to manifest in their spiritual, physical, financial, and material life. This expectancy comes when, as Jesus said, you know the Truth and It sets you free. Free from what? Fear, doubt, unbelief, ill health, toxic relationships, financial struggles, addictions, lack, insecurity, anxiety, etc. All I just described is of the curse.
Galatians 3:13-14
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Jesus redeemed (means, “to purchase”) us from the curse by taking the curse upon Himself. Why? So we could experience the blessing of Abraham through Jesus Christ – the Seed of Abraham.
During the process, which will last your entire life on earth, of abiding in The Word, we learn as we’re being taught by the Holy Spirt. The Holy Spirit rewards those that diligently seek after the Truth (Hebrews 11:6) with wisdom, or the “rhema,” the revealed knowledge of God.
The Book of Leviticus is one that many Believers skip over or just read through, using One-Year Read Through the Bible plans, without absorbing the incredible and deep revelations of the book. We just see what is on the surface. However, if you study it and ask the Holy Spirit, He’ll teach you the hidden mysteries in the book.
One such hidden mystery is the burnt offering in Leviticus 1. You have three types of animals or fowl for the offering: a bullock, a goat or sheep, and a turtledove or young pigeon. If you study through it, you’ll notice the bullock is treated a bit differently in the sacrifice. I’m not going to go through it as this is not the intent of this message. I’ll leave this to you.
The bullock represents Jesus Christ to come. Jesus will carry the yoke and burden of the world (Matthew 11:28-30) to the sacrifice He would make. As Leviticus 1:4 says, the bullock will be an atonement, or covering, for the sin of the man offering it. Jesus performed the same role as the bullock only He wasn’t an atonement. The offering of Himself didn’t just cover our sin, it washed our sins away completely. And not just one man’s sin as a bullock would, but the world’s sins.
Notice something about the bullock, different from the goat, sheep, dove, or pigeon sacrifices, in verse 6.
Leviticus 1:6
And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
Notice the word, “flay.” Flay means to “to strip off the skin or surface of.” What happened to Jesus when He was scourged? Yes, that’s right. His back was flayed. The Word tells of Jesus’ bones showing through after the scourging. God was showing us what would happen to Jesus 3,500 years later when He went through the Passion. The Scriptures tell us in I Peter 2:24 that “we are healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ.” Healed mentally and physically. But you have to claim it in faith for it to work for you. You must participate.
Lastly, look at Leviticus 1:8. This is amazing.
Leviticus 1:8-9
8 And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
The priest would lay the head, the inwards (entrails), and the legs on the wood and lay the fat on the head. What is the significance of this?
Head – represented the fact “Christ knew no sin” – II Corinthians 5:21.
Inwards – represented the fact “In Christ was no sin” – I John 3:5.
Legs – represented the fact “Christ did no sin” – I Peter 2:22.
Fat – represented the “sweet aroma” of rest through Christ – Ephesians 5:2.
Wood – represented the cross Christ was laid upon – Galatians 3:13.
Everything about the sacrifice of our dear Savior was foretold in every ritual and rite God had the priests perform in the Old Testament or Covenant. And a lot of what is and will happen to the Church during this age is foretold as well. Remember what the Holy Spirit taught us through John.
John 16:13
Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
Notice what is said at the end of John 16:13. The Holy Spirit, if you are a diligent disciple, will show you things to come in this world, in your family, in your life, in your business, etc.
Notice the “fat” symbolizing the sweet aroma or savor of rest was placed on the head. Why the head? Where is the anxiety, fear, doubt and other negative thoughts of the curse manifest? Yes, in your head, your mind. The more time you spend in these thoughts, the more your heart takes on the image. Jesus’ sacrifice has given you the ability to enter “His rest” (Hebrews 4:10-11) which is free of all this.
In closing, I encourage you, as always, to become disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple, as Jesus said, is one who abides in His Word. By abiding in The Word, you’ll be set free from the bondage of wrong doctrine, wrong opinions, traditions of men, rudiments of the world, wisdom of man, and all the other garbage and evil you see happening today. Come to that place of wonderful rest knowing you will constantly be promoted by God at the appropriate time (I Peter 5:6) by casting all your care upon Him (I Peter 5:7) and letting Him carry your yoke and your burden.
Enjoy the wonderful blessings of God already given you and manifest them for all the world to see so you can fulfill Genesis 12:2-3 and Matthew 5:16.
In Christ,
Larry