This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Hope, The Good News To Remember" 11/30/2014

 

 

HOPE, THE GOOD NEWS TO BE REMEMBERED

 

Isaiah 52:1-2, 7-12

 

V:52. " Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again."

 A. The word "Awake" means open your eyes.

      1. Believers should always be alert.

      2. We can not experience the glory of God, if we are not in tuned to His Word.

 B. To clothe ourselves in the strength of the Lord, we must put on the full armor

      of God.

      1. We need protection from the world we live in.

      2. We are under attack all day long.

      3. Satan and his demons never rest in their effort to steal, kill and destroy.

      4. " Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's

             schemes."   Eph 6:11-17

 C. It is obedience to the Word of God that cleans us up.  John 15:3

     1. When we accept Christ as our personal Savior, the clean up process begins.

     2. When we walk according to the Word of God, we put on garments of splendor.

 

V:2. " Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the  

  chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion. "

  A. The common way of sitting in ancient Israel was on the floor with legs crossed.

      1. Before our relationship with Christ, we were all sitting in the dust of life.

      2. Dust is nothing and we are nothing without Christ.

      3. We must remember that God created Adam from the dust of the earth.

      4. God can take our dusty souls and redeem them to eternal life.

  B. Even though we have been redeemed, we still walk in the dust of life.

      1. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He will lift us up.

      2. We must continuously make efforts to shake off the dust of life.

          a. We must shake off the sins in our lives.

          b. We make shake off the lust of life.

          c. We must shake off the envy of life.

          d. We must shake off the hates in our lives.

          e. We must shake off unselfishness.

    C.  We must rise up, shake the dust and take on the righteousness of God.

         1. We must present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God.

         2. We must continuously take on an unselfish attitude.

         3. We must put God first in all our decisions and activities.

         4. It is the Lord who lifts us up and sets us on a higher plain near Him.

    D. Sin is the chain that binds us to this world.

        1. The more we satisfy the flesh, the more we are chained to our old self.

        2. We must seek the righteousness of God to break the chains that bind us.

 

 

Isaiah 52:7-12

V:7. " How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

A. It was the angel Gabriel who brought the good news to Zachariah that he and his wife  

     in their old age, would have a baby. (John the Baptist)

  1. It was the angel Gabriel that brought the good news to Mary, a virgin, that she was

      selected to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah.

  2. It was a host of angels from the Lord that brought the good news to the shepherds in

       the night that the Savior had been born in Bethlehem.

B. Everyone needs to hear a good Word from the Lord.

  1. The world is filled with bad news.

  2. We get bad news from the news media, the internet, face book and twitter.

  3. The world focuses on the bad when there is more good around.

  4. You can only find eternal hope in the word of God.

  5. We should make it our business to encourage others.   

 C. The death of the Lord on the cross made it possible for all to inherit eternal life.

   1. Jesus gave us the great commission to proclaim the Gospel to everyone we meet.

   2. It is the attitude of blessing others with words of encouragement in the Lord

       that draws us closer.   

 

 V:8. " Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the

   Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes."

  A. A watchman was normally posted on a tower as the lookout for approaching 

       enemies.

       1. Jesus is not our enemy, He is our friend. He will return to take the church

           to be with Him in heaven.  John 14:3

       2. All believers should be ready and prepared for the second coming of Jesus.

       3. Our objective is not life in this world but Heaven with the Lord.

       4. We should travel the road of life, shouting the joy of the Lord.  

  B. The Lord will come again in a cloud with power and glory and all men will see Him.

        Luke 21:27

       1. Jesus will drop down from heaven with the arch angel.

           a. There will be a great shout after which the arch angel will  blow his horn.

               The dead in Christ will rise and then those still living will be called to heaven.

           b. The word "shout" means a cry of excitement.  1 Thess 4:16

       2. Not only will believers be excited at the Lord's return, but the angels in heaven

           will rejoice.

       3. Heaven is in our mist.

            a, We have the Word and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

            b. Life on this earth is but a short period, therefore we  should be rejoicing now.

 

V:9. " Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem."

A. When the Lord returns, It will not be a private party.

       1. All believers will rejoice when the Lord comes again.

       2. When we think about the goodness of the Lord, we ought to rejoice.

          a. He took us out of the ruins of life.

          b. He redeemed us from our sins.

          c. He comforts us with love.

 B. Through the death of Jesus Christ, we were adopted into the family of Israel.

      1. We have a home in the new Jerusalem where Jesus will reign.  Gal 4:5

      2.  We are the redeemed of God and we should be ready to say so.  Psalms 107:2

 

 V:10. " The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the

  ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."

 A. The Lord's Holy Arm is our deliverer.

     1. He delivered us from our sins.

     2 He delivers us from the troubles of the world.

     3. He delivers us from the evil of this world.

     4. He delivers us in times of sickness..

     5. He delivers us from financial problems.

     6. He delivers us from the sorrows of life.

 B. What the Lord does for us, is in the sight of the world.

     1. Since the Lord delivers us in the sight of the world, we should praise Him in

        the sight of the world.

     2. If we deny Jesus before the world, He will deny us before the Father in heaven

         2 Tim 2:12

 

 V:11. " Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord."

 A. When the Lord released the Israelites out of Babylonian Captivity,  they were to leave

      without taking any of the Babylonian unclean habits.

     1. God has released us from the captivity of  sin .

         a. We are commanded to leave our old sinful habits and take on the righteous of

             God.

         b.  Any man in Christ is a new creation.

         b. We were buried in the death of Jesus and resurrected into a new life with Jesus.

 

 V:12. " But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. "

A. God is our guide.

    1. Because we are in Christ, we must submit ourselves to the will of the Father.

    2. It is easy to follow our old ways.

    3. It takes a change in our hearts to follow Christ.

 B. God is our security.

     1. When we make up our minds to follow God, he encamps His angels around us.

     2. No weapon formed against us can prosper.

 

Rev M. Mitchell, Asst Pastor of GMBC

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Setting Boundaries", 11/23/2014

SETTING BOUNDARIES

 

Ezekiel 47:13-23

 

V:13. " This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel, with two portions for Joseph."

 

When the Israelites came into the promise land, God divided the land among the 12

tribes. He set boundaries for each tribe. More importantly, were Gods commands.

God's commands are the boundaries of their lives.

 

Over time the boundaries were erased.  God selected people, corrupted themselves by going out side of His boundaries and rejecting His commands.

 

In life we have national boundaries, community boundaries, family boundaries and individual boundaries.

 

In this text, God resets the boundaries for the millennium kingdom.

 

V:14. "You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will become your inheritance."

A. God keep his promises.

    1. Time and circumstances does not change the promises of God.

    2. God made a covenant with Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation

        and set the boundaries of the land recorded in the 13th chapter of Genesis (1900 BC).

    3. The nation of Israel did not take possession of the land until 1450 BC.

 B. Overtime, the boundaries of the land changed because of the disobedience of Israel.

    1. God is not bounded by the boundaries that man sets.

    2. From time to time, God reminds us of His promises and His boundaries.

 

 V:15-20 "This is to be the boundary of the land: "On the north side it will run from the Great Sea by the Hethlon road past Lebo Hamath to Zedad, 16 Berothah and Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 The boundary will extend from the sea to Hazar Enan, along the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This will be the north boundary. 18 "On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This will be the east boundary. 19 "On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi [of Egypt] to the Great Sea. This will be the south boundary. 20 "On the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the west boundary.

 

A. God set the boundaries of the nation.

    1. In the boundary of the nation, God set the boundary of each family.

    2. As a nation of believers, the Word God is our boundary.

    3. Any time we go outside of God's Word, we go outside of the will of God.

B. One of the major issues of Israel was idolatry.

    1. Thou shall have no other gods before me.

    2. The nation of Israel grew up in Egypt, with a  people who worshipped idols.

    3. God freed Israel from the worship of idol gods and established himself as the one

        true living God of Israel.

    4. From time to time Israel rejected the true and living God in favor idol gods.

    5. Anything we put before God becomes an idol.

    6. Trusting in anything or anyone other than God puts us in idol territory.

 C. Boundaries establishes the standards for living.

    1. With boundaries, there are places you can go and places you can't go.

    2. With boundaries, there are people you can associate with and people you can't be

         around.

    3. With boundaries there are thoughts you can entertain and thoughts you can't

         entertain. Phil 4:8,9

    4. With boundaries there is a God to worship and gods not to worship.

    5. Boundaries set the standard of truth and defines evil.

 D. Notice, God is exact in setting the boundaries of the promise land.

    1. God defined the north, south, east and western edges of the promise land

        with specific places on the map.

    2. God is very specific in identifying those He selected to be part of the body

        of Christ.

    3. God is specific in identifying His truths from that which is false.

    4. God is specific in identifying righteousness from that which is evil

E. Ezekiel's vision set's the stage for the inheritance of the spiritual Israel.

    1. All those who accept Jesus as their personal Savior are the spiritual

        Israel.

    2. The spiritual Israel are all those who obey the commands of God.

       a. Jesus asked the question, "Who are my brothers and Sisters?"

       b. The answer is those who obey God's commands.

 

 V:21-23. "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign Lord.

  

The inheritance of the spiritual Israel can be defined in this manner:   (Pulpit Commentary)

  

A.  IT IS A DIVINELY APPOINTED INHERITANCE.

 

   1. Before the foundation of the world God decided on the redemption of man.

       Eph 1:4-5

   2. God created everything perfect.

       a. It was in God's plan that man would sin and be in need of redemption.

       b. God knows the end from the beginning and everything in between.

   3. At some point in God's creative process, He allowed one of His angels to corrupt

       heaven resulting in the fall of Satan and his demons.  Isa 14:12

  4. We are not told when Satan was kicked out of heaven, but we know he was present

      in the garden of Eden before Adam sinned.

   5. Immediately after Adam's sin, God promised a redeemer for mankind.  Gen 3:15

 

B. IT IS A SPECIAL INHERITANCE FOR EACH BELIEVER

 

  1. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is the promised redeemer.

  2. The death of Jesus on the cross atoned for all of mans sins, but not all men were

     elected to be saved from sin.  Mat 24:31, Ro 8:30

  3. There are two classes of people in  the world; those elected for salvation and those not

      elected for salvation.  2 Tim 2:19

  4. There are those who will receive the Spirit of God and those who will not receive the 

      the Spirit of God.  John 14:17

  5. No one deserves salvation, but God makes us SPECIAL by drawing us to Himself.

      a. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them.  John 6:44

 

C. IT IS A SUFFICIENT INHERITANCE FOR ALL.

 

    1. The Church started with Jesus and His 12 disciples in a very small place on earth.

    2. The Gospel has expanded to most of the earth and is still spreading, according to the

        great commission that Jesus gave us.  Mat. 28:19

    3. The Gospel is by the Grace and Mercy of God and there is no limit to His resources.

    4. There is enough Grace and Mercy for every one God has elected for Himself.

 

D. IT IS A PERPETUAL INHERITANCE.

 

   1. All who accept Jesus has a present inheritance of the righteousness of God and an

       eternal, everlasting righteousness with God.

   2. Jesus said to us, where I Am, there you will be also.

   3. Heaven is present in our mist because we have the indwelling of God's Spirit.

   4. Our inheritance include all the promises in the Bible, the divine Word of Truth.

   5. What the Lord has given us, the world cannot take away.

   6. Neither trials and  tribulations of this world nor death can separate us from the love

       of God.  Ro 8:39

   7. In Jesus Christ, we live forever.  John 3:16

 

 E. WE WERE ALL STRANGERS TO THE INHERIENCE

     1. We all were strangers  to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

     2. We were all born in sin because of the sin of Adam.

     3. But God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotten son, so that

         all who believe in Him have eternal life.

 

 F. GOD'S BOUNDARIES BENIFIT ALL BELIEVERS.

 

     1. God set the boundaries of Israel to separate them from the pagan nations around

          them.

        a. God gave Israel His law so that Israel would not follow the ways of the world.

        b. The Church is under the laws of God.

    2. Boundaries separates us, the Church,  from the ways of the world.

        a. Boundaries separates love from hate.

        b. Boundaries separates righteousness from sin.

        c. Boundaries separates good from evil.

        d. Boundaries separates hope from hopelessness.

        e. Boundaries separates joy from sorrow.

        f. Boundaries separates right relationships from wrong relationships.

        g. Boundaries separates heaven from hell.

        h. Boundaries separates successful living from unsuccessful living.

        i. Boundaries separates peace from disruptions.

        j. Boundaries separates God from Satan.

 

THANK GOD FOR HIS BOUNDARIES

 

Rev. M. Mitchell,  Asst Pastor of GMBC

 

        

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Living Water", 11/16/2014

THE LIVING WATER

 

Ezekiel 47:1-12

 

V:1-2 " The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.

 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side."

A. The more you study God's Word, the more His divine plan will be revealed to you.

    1. Sometimes God uses physical examples to explain Spiritual concepts.

    2. Ezekiel observed water flowing out of the temple though the temple gate.

    3. The entrance to the temple faced east.

    4. Ezekiel was led outside the gate and around the temple.

        a. He observed that the water was flowing from the south side of the temple toward

            the east.

        b. The south side is  the right of the altar.

        c. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God.

B. Jesus is the source of life.

    1. Jesus is the living water.  John 7:38

    2. From the temple of God flows all wisdom.

    3. From the temple of God though Jesus Christ flows eternal life.  

    4. All that we need flows from God.

        a. Seek first the kingdom of God and all thing necessary for life will be given to you.

            Mat 6:33

        b. The Word of God flows from the altar.

        c. Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word of God.   Mat. 4:4

 

 V:3. " As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep."

 A. The Word of God comes to us first in bits and pieces that we can understand.

     1. The more we study God's Word, the deeper our understanding gets.

     2. Jesus started His ministry on earth with 12 disciples that He selected.

        a. The ministry continued to grow as the Word was proclaimed.

        b. We continue to grow spiritually, as we continue our study of the Word.

    3. We first start our life with Christ as carnal Christians.

        a. We are more emerged in ourselves than the Word of God.

        b. Once baptized in Jesus, the feet are wet but the heart is still unchanged.

 B. As Jesus continued teaching the Word of God, more and more people were

     drawn to Him.

     1. In one setting, He fed 5000 and in another setting, He fed 4000 people.

     2. Our job is to first be fed so that we can feed others the Word of God.

 

 V:4. " He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist."

 A. The more we study the Word, the more we are emerged in the Word and in the Spirit

      of God.

    1. The more we study the Word of God, the more distant we become from our worldly

        ways.

    2. We have to put off the flesh to put on the spirit of God.

 B. If we view the cubit as time, God continues to reveal His Word to us throughout our

   life time.

  1. God began revealing His plan of redemption in the Garden of Eden after the sin of

      Adam.

  2. He selected Abraham as the father of faith.

     a. From Abraham, He grew a nation in slavery who He called His people.

     b. Through 42 generations, He brought Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

     c. The Church of Jesus Christ was born with His death on the cross and His

         resurrection.

 

V:5. " He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in — a river that no one could cross."

 A. At some point in our spiritual growth we should be completely emerged in the Word

     of God.

    1. We should be filled with the Spirit of God and totally committed to Him.

    2. When we become completely filled with the Spirit, worldly ways will have no place

         in our lives.

   3. There ought to come a time in our lives when we should quit swimming and start

        walking on water.

   4. With the Lord Jesus in our lives, we have supernatural powers.

 B. Jesus commanded His disciple to get in a ship and go to the other side of the sea.

    1. They toiled all night against the waves of the sea and made little progress.

        a. Their problem was, they failed to take Jesus on their trip.

        b. Jesus was not in their hearts.

    2.  When Peter saw Jesus walking on water, he stepped out of the boat and started

         walking toward Him. Mat 14:29

C. We will always have situations that we can't handle.

   1. With Jesus, all things are possible.

   2. When our lives are totally focused on the will of God, nothing will be impossible

       for us.  Mat 17:20

   3. We must trust the Lord to answer our prayers.

 

V:6. " He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river."

 A. We should make it our duty to get a clear understanding of God's Word.

     1. God said, in all your getting, get an understanding. Prov 4:7

     2. The just live by faith and not by sight.  2 Cor 5:7

 B. We should start with a  passage of scripture and fully understand it before moving to

      the next passage.

    1. There are some Biblical concepts that are basic that we must understand before we

        can move to the next level.

    2. The Apostle Paul stated that he determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and

        Him crucified.  1 Cor 2:2

    3. John 3:16 is basic. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,

        that whoever believes in Him shall not parish, but have everlasting life."

     4. If we can understand the basics;

         a. We can understand love

         b. We can understand forgiveness

       c. We can understand the cleaning power of the blood of Jesus

       d. We can understand salvation

       e. We can understand the way to heaven  

  C. Ezekiel came to an understanding that all life flows from the altar of God.    

 

V:7. " When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river."

 A. Anything that is planted by the river of life grows and prospers.

     1. The water of Christ is a living water.

     2. The water of Christ is refreshing water.

     3. The water of Christ is redeeming water.

 B. We should become like a tree planted by the river of life.

     1. We should be rooted and grounded in Jesus.

     2. The winds of life may blow hard, we will bend but not be broken down.

     3. A tree that is planted by the river is continuously nourished. 

     4. A tree planted by the river of life continuously grows stronger.

     5. The Lord is our strength and our redeemer.

 

V:8. " He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh."

 A. The living water ran towards the dead sea, the lowest point on earth.

     1. The dead sea has a high salt content and nothing lives in it.

     2. Once the living water entered a dead substance, it became alive.

 B. Without Jesus, the world is dead in its sins.

     1. Without Jesus, the world is barren of any fruit.

     2. Without Jesus, the world cannot produce anything of value.

 C. Before Jesus came into our lives, we were dead in our sins.

     1. Once we established a relationship with Jesus, we became  new creations.

     2. Being alive in Christ opens a  new world of opportunities for us.

     3. Being in the light, God gives us insight and hope for tomorrow.

 

V:9. " Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live."

A. There is an abundance in the Lord.

     1. The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness there of.

     2. Jesus said, I came that you might have life and  have it more abundantly.

 B. In Jesus, there is an abundance of  Joy.

     1. In Jesus, there is an abundance of peace.

     2. In Jesus, there is an abundance of  love.

     3. In Jesus, there is an abundance of wisdom.

        a. If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask the Lord.

        b. In Jesus, there is a continuous newness of life.

 

 V:10. " Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. "

A.  Peter and John, Andrew and James were fisherman of fish.     Mat 4:18

      1. In Jesus, they became fishermen of men.

      2. Life is not about us, but what we can do for others.

B. We stand in the living waters of Jesus, so we can proclaim the good news about Jesus.

     1. In life, there are people from all nations of the world.

     2. Everyone we meet should hear the Word of God.

     3. Anyone in the dark needs the  light of Jesus Christ.

     4. We are the universal Church that possess the ability to enlighten the world.

     5. Jesus gave all believers the great commission to take the Gospel to the ends of the

         earth.

 

V:11. " But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt."

 A. There are those who will hear the Word, but will reject it.

     1. There are people who enjoy being in the swamps of life.

     2. There hearts are evil and all their thoughts are evil.

 B. Jesus sent His disciples out two by two  to proclaim  the word of God.

     1. They were told if any household would not receive them,  shake

        the dust off and move on.

     2. The Word is the blessing of God.

         a. Those who reject the Word, reject the blessing of God.

         b. Those who reject the Word are condemned to  eternal hell.

 

V:12. " Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."

 A. In Jesus, we are constantly being renewed.

     1. God has blessings for us that we cannot think or conceive.

     2. It is our duty to be servants of the Lord.

     3. Those who serve the Lord are a blessing to others.

 B. When we put God first, He puts us first.

     1. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He will lift us up.

     2. When we give God our best, He gives us His best.

 C. We have already received the Lord's best, His Son.

     1. Our true healing is everlasting life with the Lord.

     2. With Jesus in our life, heaven is in our mist.

   "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to 

    springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Rev.7:17

 

Rev. M. Mitchell   Asst Pastor Of GMBC

 

   

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Christ, Our Altar", 11/9/2014

CHRIST, OUR ALTAR

 

Ezekiel 43:13-21

 

V:13 "These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits, that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: "

 

A. God gave us the dimensions of the altar that He will set in His Holy temple during the

      millennium kingdom age (the time after the rapture of the Church).

    1. We do not know the exact measurements of the altar.

    2. God gave measurements in cubits.

    3. Some say a cubit is 18 inches, others say it is 21 inches.

 B. It is important to know that God was very particular to give us His design.

     1. We should seek to know the importance of the altar.

     2. The altar was the place where all sacrifices to God were made for the nation of

         Israel.

     3. They were required to bring meat and grain offerings to the Lord.

     4. The first sacrificial offering was from God for man in the Garden of Eden.

           a. God killed an animal to make a covering for the sin of Adam and Eve.

           b. God sacrificed an animal to redeem Adam and Eve.

           c. It was the beginning of blood sacrifices.

     5. Cain and Able were required to bring offerings to the Lord.

 C. After the giving of the Law to the Israelites in the desert, God set up a sanctuary and

     a Priesthood to make sacrifices for the sins of Israel at the Altar.

    1. All of the sacrifices pointed to the blood Jesus Christ shed on the Cross for

        the sins of mankind.

D. The required sacrifices established a special relationship with the Lord.

    1. At the altar is redemption.

    2. At the altar is atonement for sins.

    3. At the altar is forgiveness of sins.

    3. At the altar is the love of God.   John 3:16

    5. At the altar is the entry way to heaven.

    6. At the altar is the compassion of God

    7. At the altar is the righteousness of God.

    8. At the altar is the light of the world.

    9. At the altar is the transformation of man.

   10. At the altar is life with Jesus.

   11. At the altar is the final sacrifice for sin.

   12. At the altar is the place to show the Father our gratefulness.

   13. At the altar is the relationship with Father.

   14. At the altar is fellowship with the Father.

 

V:14.  God set standards for His people to live by.

        1. The law is God written standards of holiness. 

        2. God set the altar in the mist of the sanctuary to remind His people of

            His requirements for holiness.

        3. In order to stay in fellowship with the Lord , sacrifices were required.

        4. We must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. 

             Rom 12:1

   B. The vision of the altar was built up in a 3 tier section about 13 feet off the ground.

       1. The layers leading to the altar could be compared to the required steps we must go

            through, to maintain fellowship with the Lord.

             a. Become aware of our sinfulness.  

             b. Confess our sins before the Lord.

             c. Ask for forgiveness.

             d. Accept Jesus  as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

        2. We are lifted out of our sinful state into a relationship with the Lord by the

            redeeming blood Jesus shed on the cross.

        3. The altar is the Hebrew word  hareel meaning the mount of God.

           a. God is high and we are low.

           b. Our focus should always be upward toward the Lord.

 

 V:15. " The altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upward from the

   hearth.

   A. The horn represents strength, power and glory.

       1. Jesus is the horn of our salvation.

       2. The Lord is our strength.

       3. All power over heaven and earth is in the hands of Jesus.

       4. Jesus is the glory of the Lord.

       5 . During the millennium, Israel will be the elect nation of God.

       6. All who believe in Christ Jesus are God's elect.

 B. The altar hearth could be considered the place where Jesus who knew no

      sin, took our place as a perfect sacrifice for sin.   2 Cor 5:21

 

V:16. " The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide."

  A. The vision of the Altar was a square, perhaps representing the four corners of

       the earth.

     1. When Jesus comes again He will gather His redeemed from the four corners of the

          earth. Isa 11:12

     2. In Revelations, angels hold the 4 corners of the earth.  Rev 7:1

  B. God is complete in what He does.

     1. The death of Jesus on the cross was the one complete sacrifice covering sin for

          all times for all of mankind.    John 1:29

     2. It is through Jesus Christ that we are made complete in the Lord.

 

V:17. " The upper ledge also is square, fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide, with a rim of half a cubit and a gutter of a cubit all around. The steps of the altar face east."

 A. The rim around the altar was there for the Priest to stand firmly while burning the

       the sacrifice.

      1. We can stand firm on the Word of God.

      2. The Word never changes.

      3. The blood of Jesus never looses it's power.

 B. The sun rises in the east.

     1. The first sight we get of the glory of God in the morning is in the east.

     2. At the birth of Jesus, the wise men saw a star in the eastern sky indicating the

         birth of a King.  Mat 2:2

 

V:18. " Then he said to me, "Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings and sprinkling blood upon the altar when it is built."

 A. God has rules for the offering we make to Him.

     1. We can't come to God in a worldly way expecting our sins to be forgiven.

     2. God requires us to be obedient to His commands.

     3. We must humble ourselves before the Lord.

 B. We must do what God says do, the way He said to do it.

     1. God is Sovereign.

         a. He does not have to explain to us why He wants things done.

         b. Trusting in God, we do not need an explanation.

     2. We show our love for God by being obedient.

     3. It is our obedience to the Word of God that activates the blessings of God.

 

V:19. " You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the priests, who are Levites, of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord."

A. Every believer is a servant of the Lord.

    1. We all have jobs that God has assigned to us.

    2. No job assignment is more important than another.

 B. Ezekiel, a priest was given the job of writing and proclaiming the vision of God.

    1. The priests of the family of Zadok was given the job of burning the sin offerings

         at the altar.

    2. "Zadok" means righteous.

        a. In the mist of all the sins in the world, God has righteous people ready

            to serve.  1 Chron 29:22

        b. We should always be prepared and ready to serve the Lord.

        c.  The Lord may call us to serve when we least expect it.

   3. The people of God are required to bring sacrifices to the Lord.

       a. It is our duty to support the Church with our time and resources.

       b. When we make the Church our financial obligation, God blesses our personal

            finances.

       c. The Lord loves a cheerful giver.

V:20. " You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it."

A. The priests were required to purify the altar before making a sacrifice to God.

     1. The animals offered for sacrifice were to be without blemish.

     2. When we come to the Lord to ask forgiveness of sin, we must be sure that

          we have no un-confessed sins.

 B. God is Spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and truth.

     1. We defile the offering when we do not offer our best to the Lord.  Mal 1:7-8

     2. God requires us to bring our first fruits to Him.    Rom 11:16, Deu 18:4

 C. The sprinkling of the blood on the altar (the mount of God) was the dedication of

      the altar to God.

    1. We should dedicate our lives to God for His use.

    2. We were created to give God glory.   Isa 43:7

    3. When we give up ourselves to the Lord, we find life in Jesus. Luke 18:28-30

 

V:21. " You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary. "

A. Since our bodies are the temple of the Lord, we should go to the Lord in prayer with a

     clean heart.  Ps 51:10

    1. We should examine ourselves to be sure we have forgiven anyone who has wronged

         us.

    2. We should make amends to anyone we have wronged.

       Mat 5:23-24

 B.  The altar is the place where the community of believers come together for prayer,

       fellowship and worship of the Lord.

    1. The altar is the place where the people of God come to meet Jesus.

    2. The blood of Jesus at the altar  makes us whole before the Lord.

 

COME TO JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

 

See you at the ALTAR

 

Rev. M. Mitchell,  Asst Pastor of GMBC