The Morrow After the Sabbath (02/03/2002)

Leviticus 23 and the Firstfruits Offering

Get in the right chapter this morning. Last time I got the wrong one the bigot. Leviticus chapter 23 in verse 10. This one almost got preached last Sunday. I've got an outline here with. It shows where I'm headed.

And I got headed off down to too fast down the path last Sunday morning. But it was a good path, so I'm glad to be there this Sunday. Father we asked that you Take us into the very heavenlies today. That's what this message is all about.

Every message really is about that, but this message is particularly about Being in the heavenlies in Christ. And all that it means. And all that we can understand that it means. We thank you that you allow us to come together.

Yay, you have ordained that we come together. In times like this it's all part of your plan. It's all part of the means of reaching that end. Conforming us into the image of your son, so continue that work in us now.

Believer priest Has many types In the Old Testament that teach us what our responsibilities are we're Certainly to keep charge of the tabernacle. We are the tabernacle now. We are to offer praises unto the Lord sacrifices of our lips.

And even offer our very bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. We're always to keep the sacred fires burning and keep on the helmet of the hope of salvation. And We're supposed to place and remove the showbread as we discussed last Sunday the face bread.

We're supposed to bring to our Visual minds the very face of God Smiling upon us with that fatherly pleasure and love. And this morning We're going to talk about the responsibility of offering the first fruits in Leviticus chapter 23 in verse 10 follow along with me if you would.

Speaking unto the children of Israel. Speaking to the children of Israel and saying to them when you be come into the land. Which I give unto you and shall reap the harvest thereof. Then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest.

The Promised Land and the Victorious Christian Life

I Read that verse last time. By mistake, but it really almost preached just reading it. It speaks of the promised land which pictures the victorious Christian life. When Jesus said I've come that they might have life and they might have it abundantly.

He showed his will is for us his children to live real life day by day. He gave the key to that. When he said that those who love the self life shall lose life and those who hate the self life shall live life and He said it's like a seed that must die before it can bear fruit.

And so we understand that this flesh that we're living in for a short period of time. This tent is tabernacle that we dwell in can actually at this time pull against everything We want to do for the world.

The key is to realize that it is crucified and I said the word is Because it's finished it is crucified in Christ. To the extent that we would abide in Christ then this flesh is crucified and we are risen in him well this beautiful Responsibility.

Where it says then you shall bring a sheep of the firstfruits. Now, this is after you get into the promised land. You can't do this if you're not saved. You can't do this if you haven't been delivered.

Salvation as we all know doesn't mean that you are delivered from trouble does it? That almost means you're delivered into trouble doesn't it in this life? A Many times the Bible says we'll only enter the kingdom of heaven through trouble tribulation.

But as we go into the promised land we visualize God's people taking it little by little. God said you couldn't take it all at once. It would be too much for you. But you'll take it little by little and I guess they're still in that process more or less over there.

Still having a problem taking the land, aren't they? Well, we have that problem it's a beautiful physical picture for us spiritually we have a problem. Taking the land that's already ours. It has been given us.

Victory is ours. Victorious living moment by moment day by day is ours, but we have trouble. We're afraid of the Giants. We're afraid. Sometimes we send our own little spies in and we see things that scare us to death.

We battle. But little by little the Lord is giving it over to us and really it's already ours. But he says when you come into that place when you set foot in the promised land. Then bring a sheep of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest.

The Wave Offering and the Resurrection of Christ

Now in Verse 11 it shows the duty of the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord. Now picture this he's waving this as a wave offering before the Lord to be accepted for you on The morrow after the Sabbath, what would the morrow after Sabbath be?

What day would it be? It would be the resurrection day and this whole feast pictures the resurrection the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it there.

As far as I know, that's the only Holiday that has to do with the morrow after the Sabbath. They focused on the Sabbath all the time. But this they had to do all the time on the morrow after the Sabbath it pictured the Lord's resurrection.

Now With that in mind Turn to Colossians chapter 2 and verse 12 if it's the priest's duty. To wave this offering of firstfruits which pictures resurrection. Before the Lord it says he shall wave the sheep before the Lord.

He shall wave the sheep Before the face of God. He shall wave this sheep in such a way that God observes it. It is for God's observation and it will be accepted for you. Well the accepted for you brings to our minds the substitutional death of Jesus Christ the fact that he died a substitutionary death.

For us Romans chapter 5 verses 6 and 8 has the most important word in the whole Bible in both verses. It's the word for. Or while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly. That substitution. And so we see this and we think about it in his death all the time.

And we ought to think about it all the time. We think about the fact that when he died our sins were in his body on the tree and that God the Father Separated himself from his son and that was an experience of hell and That our sins were in his body when this took place and we don't know all that took place there but we know that it accomplished everything for God and for God's people and.

What a beautiful thing this death. But that's not where the gospel stops. That's really where it begins. And it continues on to the resurrection. Doesn't it on the morrow after the Sabbath? When the women came and looked in that tomb and guess what it was empty and Even the angel asked In a way that it showed very clearly that he couldn't understand why they didn't understand this he said why do you look Among the dead for the living.

He is not here. He is risen and that's what this offering picture. So as a believer priest, it is your duty. Every moment of your life every day to wave before the father before his observation. Your resurrected lifestyle your resurrected reality.

The fact that you were not only in Christ on the cross dead to the old man, but you are risen and alive In the new man. Colossians chapter. What did I tell you to verse 12. We have to get a bigger Bible one of these days or some bifocal.

Colossians chapter 2 verse 12 now today's church Stresses the death. Stresses the death line doesn't have any problem talking about the death of Jesus. Talking about the fact that because he is dead. We are free.

Talking about the fact that we're in the age of grace not under law all of this because of the death. The problem with the modern church is it does not balance that truth with the fact that we're risen.

It likes the death part for some reason but not the risen part. Now, let's look here starting with verse 12. We're headed now Obviously towards chapter 3 verses 1 through 3 is where the message is. It is a long introduction.

So, let's look at it. Paul put it here not me so. Look at verse 12 buried with him in baptism. Wherein also you are risen now God puts it all together in the same breath. You see this. But the church likes to study it separate the church likes to study the Buried part and the death part separately and not put the resurrection part with it.

But it says buried with him in baptism wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God. Just as it was the power of God that raised Jesus out of that grave that same power dwells.

Dwells within the life of the believer right now to give you the resurrected lifestyle. It is the power of God. It's the operation of God all our part is our total responsibility is to believe. Our total Responsibility is to have faith of the operation of God.

What do I mean by that? Well, I mean this. Satan will come to you on a daily basis and tell you that your your old man is not dead. In fact, listen to him. He's talking to you right now. Satan will say and If you lack faith in God, then you will believe Satan rather than what God has already said.

God said it is finished and God said that the old man is Crucified that's past tense. That's what God says. Now God also says that the same energy. Wherewith and the power wherewith he raised Jesus out of that grave is in you today.

To give you a victorious life. Do we have faith in that operation of God or do we try to have faith in ourselves? We all struggle with it. I was struggling with it last night about 4 in the morning. I Laid awake last night struggle with this very thing and I don't know if it's because it was on my mind because the message or if God was testing me or the enemy was Attacking me, but I was living in this verse last night.

And I kept going back and forth between who do I depend on? You know how it is when you're halfway asleep, you're not thinking exactly, right? But and it takes you like a lot longer to get the truth to stick in your mind that it does right now.

But I'm saying to myself now am I relying on David? Or is my reliance totally upon God? Is it up to me to make everything succeed or is my reliance totally upon the Lord for success in his work? And the fear comes when we start thinking it's us.

And The peace comes when we understand this operation of God who has raised him From the dead and guess who was in him when he came out of the grave his own. You were in him When he came out of that grave.

Just as surely as Levi gave tithes in the loins of Abraham when he gave to Melchizedek same principle. And you being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh. Hath he quickened? You see the quickening is the resurrection part.

The dead is the death part both have occurred. It's just that we like to focus on the finished work and the death more than we like to focus on the resurrection. Ye being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him?

It happened at the same time. It is not something that needs to happen tomorrow in your lives. It's something that happened already 2 ,000 years ago. It's a matter of reckoning it to be so. It's a matter of applying it by faith.

How's your faith this morning? Minds a lot better than it was last night. I Told Charlotte what a difference a day can make. The Sun coming up can make a big difference. And you being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh hath he already quickened together with him the same time Jesus was quickened you Gained access to this quickening.

Having forgiven you all your trespasses. Look at this blotting out the handwriting of ordinances. That was against us. We like to focus on the fact that we are now dead to the law and If we stop here with no resurrection.

Then we will be unbalanced and we'll take that to the extent that the law has no meaning to us. That we don't need to live a clean life that we don't need our feet to walk in the narrow path in our hands to stay clean and That's a great grievous perversion of the gospel because the gospel includes not only death to the law and to the flesh and to the world and to the devil, but also Resurrected life, which means living in the here and now for him in power.

We leave that all you see his death and the finished work of Christ. Benefited us to the utmost in our salvation of our soul. It benefited us to the utmost in delivering us from darkness into his marvelous light.

It benefited us to the utmost in Taking us to the place from a lost race to become a child of God and to be placed into an inheritance and to have a Future that really is not even future in the way we define it because it absolutely has no end.

It's the now. We think of it as the future. It's really the reality of our life right now. It's the now brother Otis asked a question not too many days ago in one of his classes. Can you define the present and I sat there for two weeks and worked on that one?

And I said, no, I can't because if I think of time as digital and it's a little bunch of little dots on a line by the time I try to focus on the one I'm on. I'm on the next one and The previous one is one of the dots behind me.

And so I was really never there. Seemingly and the reason is because we're passing through time and the reality of everything is not in time. It's in the I am. It's now for God if you want to be present if you want to enjoy life now.

It's it'll worry about your past and the mistakes you've made and worrying about the future man. Where am I gonna be? Am I gonna have anything in the future? Am I gonna have food to eat? You know, where are we gonna be in the future if you would rather enjoy life now and have abundant living.

It is absolutely impossible for you to do that in the flesh in time. But if you will connect with God By his Holy Spirit and your spirit become one spirit with him for all the sudden enjoying the present.

Because you are living eternal life. So we like the fact that the death and the finished work has blotted out the handwriting of ordinances. That was against us because now we say well, that's good because I can't keep them.

Anyway, I don't have to worry about it now. Which was contrary to us took it out of the way nailing it to his cross now. Let me tell you there's an imbalance on both sides of this issue. Those who don't understand that it has in fact been nailed to the cross or wrong.

They become focusing on the flesh again and on the rules again. This has all been nailed to the cross. It is all part of his finished work. Jesus Christ has perfectly kept the law and pleased God and you can't do that.

Unless you are in him. And if you are in him. Then you have done that and you are doing that and God is pleased with you. And that's what we talked about last time with the face bread. So we have to get that truth.

But it's not enough just to have that truth because if all you have is the truth that is finished work. Has done it all for you and you don't stop to think that he has commanded you to think about living in time now in a Resurrected powerful lifestyle that makes a difference in this place.

There is a purpose for you and me here, by the way. We know God is sovereign. We know that we're seated in the heavenlies in Christ right this minute. God takes us to that place often on Sunday mornings and hopefully with each of us in our own private time.

But he takes us there to give us the urges. He takes us there to give us the power. To do our purpose here, which he is highly interested in. You think he's not interested in it. Then. Why is it all here?

What's this all about? What is our purpose just to sit on a pew. Yes, but that's not all. That's kind of like just thinking about the finished work. But we're supposed to get up as a resurrected being and walk out into this world and fulfill a purpose and All of this has to come together lest we become out of balance.

Having spoiled Principalities and powers and made a show of them openly. Triumphing over them in it. The cross of Jesus Christ also gave every single believer in this room power over these powers. There is no Christian that ever has to be oppressed by a demon.

There are Christians who have been and are I've counseled with several from your own local body right here in the last year or so. That have come to me for help in that area. But you know what as soon as they learn they don't have to be that if they'll walk with the Lord and Resist the devil as the Bible says to.

Then there is no power over. Now the lost person can't accomplish this. The lost person is totally and completely given over to the lordship of Satan. The Christian is under the lordship of Jesus Christ who has set us free from every lower Lord and only by believing the lie that the old man is still alive and Not walking in faith as we've just discussed not walking in the resurrected steps of life.

Only as we disbelieve that and go back down into the realm of the flesh. Can we be influenced by Satan and his demons? But don't let that happen because don't think for a moment that can't be real pastor deal with it all the time.

There's been a teaching in some circles though. Not many. I'll say this Merilleth Unger who wrote Unger's Bible Dictionary Wrote a classic work on demonism and the effect demons can have on the believer read that book.

He didn't believe it when he was a young man, but as an older man. He wrote this classic work that's in all the seminaries most People that I know that are scholars of the scriptures do understand demons can affect Believers that there have been a few preachers who have preached on the radio and in their churches that it's impossible.

Don't follow that line. It's not the truth. But I will tell you this. If you will step out of your house in Christ. If you will go to bed at night praying for your children gentlemen and for your wife and Praying and resisting the devil and you don't have a problem in that area but you step out of the resurrected life and You begin to walk in the flesh again, and your flesh is just as success Accessible as anybody's flesh.

There's no good thing in the flesh. So don't ever be mistaken by following the wrong line in this area. Now if you if if these things weren't true. And if Merrill F Unger was wrong on this issue, then you do not need the rest of this message.

You don't need the rest of the book of Colossians. You don't need first and second Timothy first and second Thessalonians and much of Ephesians, especially chapter 6. So, please study. Please study and find out the power that you have in the resurrected lifestyle.

Victory Over Legalism and Human Traditions

Look at this and Having spoiled principalities and powers. Who did that? Did you spoil them? Did your flesh spoil them? No Jesus Christ spoiled them and the only safety is in Christ. He made a show of them openly.

Triumphing over them in it let no man. Therefore judge you and meet or drink are in respect of a holiday or in the new moon or in the Sabbath and the word Days is not found in the original. Don't ever let anybody get you on a guilt trip about the Sabbath or any other day or any other thing that reflects the law.

Because you are dead to the law if you're in Christ. Now if you're walking around in the flesh you would be better off to get in the law. But you won't be able to keep it. It would be nice if it would cause us to see our sinfulness, wouldn't it?

Do you know what it'll cause us to do? It'll cause us to go back into that safe place which is in Christ and So we see here that The Bible says these things are spoiled. Therefore they are not Applicable to us if we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ at that point we should let no man judge us with regard to whether we keep a certain day or days or drinks or Meats or any of these holidays and so forth because these things were merely a shadow of things to come.

But the body is of Christ. Now as I said the modern church likes to camp there. There's been much written in systematic theology textbooks, I've read I Don't know numbers of them that they camp in this area.

The 33 things the finished work of Christ has accomplished for us all of these types of ideas. But very few go on in to the preceding verses. Let's go on a little further and see where we're headed. The death life is all about being freed from these things including the law.

Did you know that once a man dies and his corpse is laying there? The law has no power over. Even G even Paul gives the example of the woman Who's bound to her husband by the law, but when that husband dies?

She's no longer bound by that because it's dead. So we know these things are true. We are dead in Christ. We are not bound by the law like the Old Testament Jew. We're free from that. But don't put a period there.

There's just a comma. It goes on and it says let no man Beguile you of your reward and a voluntary humility and worshiping the angels now. Let me tell you there's a great movement I believe in the end times towards this very thing happening men going back to Putting people on a guilt trip if they don't keep the Sabbath on Saturday.

I met a man in Waco who believed that that was the sign of the Antichrist. Because you go to church on Sunday morning. So, where is he? Well, he doesn't go on Sunday. So he's better than you are. He probably fasts Longer than you do.

He probably prays more than you do. But you know what you'll find out about it somehow because he'll let you know. You know why because people like that live in verse 18. Let no man beguile you of your reward and a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels intruding into those things which he hath not seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind and Not holding the head who is the head?

Jesus. You see people who hang on to legalistic things to be better than the rest of us. Are the lowest of all of us? They are the very absolute babiest of all the babies. Because they hang on to those making them think themselves feel that they are elevated into a more pleasurable Relationship with God that God is more pleased with them because they do these Elemental things that have to do with the earth that have to do with keeping laws.

And he said they're not holding the head for which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered and knit together increasing with the increase of God. Wherefore if you be dead with Christ now, we're still talking about the death and we are dead with Christ.

If we are dead with Christ, we're dead from the rudiments of the world. Why then is it that as though living in the world? Are you subject to ordinances now? Look what he says taste not this touch not that don't eat this don't eat that don't handle that or Charlie would like this.

For us. Where is he today don't touch this don't handle that. Which all are to perish with the using you see God makes it clear that all these things are are of the world. They're off the earth. I don't mean in the bad sense the law certainly was not of the world in a bad sense, but it's of this place and.

And He goes on and says if you're free if you're dead. Then why do you let these things bother you people come up to you and say well, you're not spiritual because your hair's not. You're not spiritual because you're him is not the right place.

You're not spiritual because you don't go to church on the day I go or at the time that I go or some will even say because you're not there every time. Say not the assembly. That means it's Sunday morning at 10.

Sunday morning at 11. Sunday afternoon at 115. Well who picked the times, you know, we did as a church Wednesday, if you're not a lot of you're really in sin because you're not here on Wednesday night.

I have you know. It says not to forsake our assembly now see see if I can come more than you do then I am more spiritual than you are. You got that. If I can study more than you if I can read more and somehow you can know what I'm doing now I have to.

Charlotte will kind of bleed that out to you. I won't tell you but Are my children somebody will let you know that I take my shoes off every day and walk out into the field to be alone with God for an hour.

Every day and I put a blindfold on now, you wouldn't know this but somehow you found out that I put a blindfold on so that I can for an hour every day so that I can know how my blind people in my congregation feel.

I Spiritual maybe you do this. I fast want them once a month and you know what once you know about it. God doesn't care that I did it anymore. I just lost it. As long as you know about it. God says it means nothing to me.

You're thinner and that's good, but it means nothing to me. That's where these kind of people dwell. Now God is telling us that the death in Christ has really truly freed. You're gonna miss the best part brother Roy.

I've got to learn to go faster. Read chapter 3 verses 1 through 3 you may have read it before. Okay, which are to the parish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men. Which things have indeed a show of wisdom and will worship.

Do you see this for we those of us that have been in the fundamental independent Baptist movement since 1980 have seen a lot of this. This will worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any Honor to the satisfying of the flesh where you can neglect the body will worship is causing yourself by your own Fleshly character to give things up and to live a step higher than the other brothers and sisters do.

But you want to make sure they see that. That's what this is all about now now. Listen, God is saying we are dead to all that. It none of this applies to a dead man. Would you agree? Are we not dead in Christ?

Are we not crucified in Christ already? So let's just stop since it's lunchtime and let's forget the resurrection part because that that's the part We really don't want to do if we just stop right here wouldn't be like every other Baptist Church in the country and in Bible Church.

Baptist are the Bible Church movement, but I want to show you something if he then be risen with Christ. Well, you had to die in him first. But if that has happened and you are dead. To these rudiments the things that have to do with the world both the good and the bad.

You're dead to these things and if you then be risen with Christ. Seek those things which are above. Isn't it amazing that if we were seeking those things, we wouldn't have to worry about the law. Because you would keep it.

You would keep it in the heart. Seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things above not on things that are on the earth. You realize that every day is the believer priest.

We're supposed to wave the sheep before God before his face so that he can see it. We're supposed to be seeking The things that are above right in front of God. That's the resurrected lifestyle. We're supposed to be setting our affection the things that our heart goes after not on the things that are on this earth.

But on the things which are above and we're supposed to be doing that right in the clear vision of the Father. Which everything is anyway, but it's up to us to realize it sometimes for we are dead and Our life is hid with Christ in God.

When Christ who is our life shall appear. Then shall you also appear with him in glory? That's that finished salvation brother. Talking about in Sunday school this morning. Now look at this mortified therefore.

There's an interesting little list of things that go along with the resurrected life. Look at the things that are supposed to be waved before the Lord. The modern church is not doing a very good job of this because it does not do the sheep offering anymore.

It just doesn't do the wave offering. The wave offering is waving something before God is my life in Christ. I Want God to see my life in Christ? Mortify therefore your members listen, if I don't mortify my members, he's gonna see my life in me.

He's gonna see the self-life. He's gonna see the death life. Mortify therefore your members therefore why because I am risen. I Have the same energy and power that brought Jesus from the grave. Therefore I can mortify the members of this flesh that will take me into any place a lost person.

Including the demon world. I say that dogmatically with no apologies. Mortify therefore your members. That's why the therefore is there. You wouldn't need to mortify anything if you didn't have any problem with these areas.

If you were just exempt because you're saved from these areas while you're still in this world. No, no, no, the Bible doesn't teach that. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication and cleanness inordinate affection that goes on and List a group of listings that we see all around us in this country and in our churches uncleanness inordinate affection homosexuality evil concupiscence, which is Just formongering and Covetousness, which is idolatry for which things sake the wrath of God comes in the future in the end times.

That wrath that's coming in the at the end of that tribulation period is coming on the children of disobedience. This is why it's all coming. It's going to purge the earth in the which he also walked once upon a time.

When you lived in these things, but now He also put off all these. You don't have to be affected by it, but you must put it off anger wrath malice blasphemy. Filthy communication out of your mouths. Lie not one to another seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man.

The putting off of the old man happened in Christ the finished work of the cross. Putting on of the new man is our responsibility and we don't do it often enough because we think we're exempt from everything because the finished work of Christ but that is not the gospel.

The gospel is that you put off that you may put on and when you put on Christ you can walk in this world and complete his purpose in your life and do it in victory and in power and in joy and in peace and.

And stay away from these horrible things of the flesh that are so unclean and filthy and that we hate so much. That sometimes might creep in. Were we in the flesh? And we put on the new man, which is renewed and knowledge after the image of him.

That created the new man all of this Part of the resurrected life if you read down from verse 11. All the way down through the end of this chapter. You will find the description of the resurrected life.

This is the sheath. That we're to wave in front of God we're supposed to Be merciful to our brothers and sisters. We're supposed to exhibit the humility of Jesus Christ. The death to the self-life is what brings humility.

We're supposed to exhibit the meekness of the Lord Jesus in us. We're supposed to have patience one with another. We're supposed to have endurance because we are in a battle. We're supposed to have forgiveness one for the other.

We're supposed to exhibit above all these things a goth a love which means what you do to me can't change the fact that I love you and what I do to you shouldn't change the fact that you love me a peace.

Even in the storm. Thankfulness that was spoken of in our testimonies this morning study of God's Word. It goes right down here and look at verse 16 look at verse 15 and let the peace of God rule in your hearts.

To the which also you're called in one body and be thankful. Every word that I've given you is coming out of these very verses. But look what it says in verse 16 let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all Wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts.

To the Lord, this is all an outpouring of the resurrected lifestyle. It's all a waving of the sheath before God's face. And it is the believer priest duty. To do this all the time as an offering. Our life our bodies.

Should be a living chief offering our bodies should be a living wave offering a living sacrifice. We have that possible goes on to speak of the home of the relationships between the wife and the husband and the children.

It goes on to speak of the relationship at work. All of the realms of life were discussed in this passage and they all have to do with the sheep offering. Of the life that is waved before God. Will it be a life of the flesh?

Fornication and kindness unruliness. Or will it be the resurrected lifestyle? In Christ with his fruit coming out of our lives just hanging off of us like fruit on a tree. Coming from the root Jesus Christ love mercy patience thankfulness long-suffering tenderness mercy praise.

Song it's all a picture of Jesus, isn't it? That's what our life is to be your life in Christ. Let's stand. God freed us from The law. From the world and from the flesh. So that we might free be free to wave the sheep offering to live the resurrected life.

He didn't free us from those things just for the sake of doing it. He did it as a means to the end to free us to live in Christ for him a beautiful life of victorious promise land. Type life and the first thing we're supposed to do when we get there to the promised land, which really occurs the minute you're saved.