About CFC
Your purification…it’s a messy business
By Phil Robinson
19th February 2012 | Category: Join the Journey 2012
Key Verse
“This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”
Central truth
Offer God your very best...it's your spiritual act of worship.
Main Content
The sacrifices that the Israelites made to God are not often the subject of life changing sermons.
Don’t give God a blemished lamb...He will be offended
However they provide a wonderful insight into the meticulous preparation and strict regulations that the priests worked through. They did so to ensure that they themselves were cleansed and purified before they presented themselves before God on behalf of the Israelites and that each animal sacrificed was without spot or blemish....ensuring that they were the very best that people could offer to God.
The main offering in today’s passage is known as the Peace Offering.
This was a sacrifice offered by a believer in fellowship with God. The peace offerings speak of the state of grace of the believer in fellowship with God. They helped to establish people more firmly in their walk with Jehovah and to be more mindful of God when enjoying prosperity and mercies.
The peace offering also enabled the Hebrew to be reminded of God's nearness and protection whenever adversity threatened to take his mind off the Lord.
In Chapter 8 we then read of the preparation Aaron and his sons went through to make themselves presentable before God.
It’s a messy business.
I was amazed at the purification process. I formed the impression that purification in Old Testament times was not a tidy affair. The animal was slaughtered before the altar, its blood then spread on the altar and onto the ears, thumbs and feet of the priests, followed by the blood being sprinkled on their clothing.
As we become more Christ-like, our own purification process at times can also appear to be a messy affair as God works through His Spirit to change us from our old habits and old lifestyle. Let us perservere to become a people who live lives that will glorify God in all we do.
I have been personally challenged about my own life and the time I spend making sure that my life is holy and pleasing to God. In Romans 12:1 Paul urges us to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship”.
Consider:
Let’s continue our purification process today by spending time waiting upon God, allowing the Holy Spirit to shine His light into our lives and highlight those areas that we need to bring to the cross, “so that the glory of the Lord may appear” to us.
Phil Robinson
Hi, my name is Phil Robinson. I am married to Claire and have 5 beautiful children. I am tempted to say I have ‘one of each’ but I have two girls and three boys. My interests are in mountaineering, cycling and most things outdoors. I enjoy taking my summer holidays camping in France, spending time with family and having opportunities to practice speaking to others in French.
