TRANSCRIPTION | Wednesday, January 6, 2021 | Five Offerings

 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Hey, 3trees, so good to be with you again on another Wednesday night. We meet every Wednesday night at 6:30pm central, 7:30pm eastern, on YouTube, Facebook, or you can go to 3trees.online.church. It's more of a personalized platform that we've put together to minister to you guys during these times. So again, Facebook, YouTube, or 3trees.online.church. And you can join us on Wednesday night 6:30pm central, 7:30pm eastern time. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Tonight we're going to be looking back a little bit at this message that I shared on Sunday. I don't think I shared this at every location, but definitely with church online and there at the Campbellsville location. I did mention that there was a section of my message that I was going to be cutting out, because it just felt like that everything that needed to be said in that moment had been said, and I promised you that we would come back on Wednesday night and take a look at that. And so we're going to be looking with an anchor text of Romans chapter 12 verse one and two, and then referencing some things out of the book of Leviticus. And one thing I'll just share with you, we are going to be partaking of communion this evening together, and you might want to just pause the broadcast for a moment and run over and grab maybe some crackers and some juice, improvise a little bit. Or, we even, if you want to contact the church at some point, maybe for next Wednesday, because we do do this periodically, we can give you some packets, and you could have those there with you, your family could partake. But I don't believe the Lord would mind at all if you improvised tonight, because ultimately we're doing this to honor him. Now, one of the things that we talked about on Sunday is the concept of hindsight is 2020. Hindsight is 2020. And obviously, it's a play on words, it's a little bit of a cliche, and I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of people who are throwing that phraseology around as we look back on 2020. Because when you think about 2020, it references vision. When you think about the fact that it's a vision, a level of vision that doesn't require corrective lenses, you're able to see clearly. And so it's just obvious, like when you have hindsight, you can see so much more clearly. And sometimes when you're trying to figure out the future, it's a little bit foggy, you're just not sure exactly what you're supposed to do. But after you've taken a few steps after some time has passed, and you can look back and you can say, boy, if I'd have known then what I know now. And what we focused on Sunday is the reality that with hindsight, you can look back, and you can see that there are some things that I was doing right. There are some things that I had it figured out. And those are things you need to enhance. But you also can look back and see man, those are things that I wasn't doing right. That's where I was getting it wrong. And those might be things that need to be completely eliminated from your life, or at the least some kind of significant correction come to them. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And so when we were talking about how that we can learn with hindsight, these are things we were doing right, these were things we were doing wrong, these are things we need to enhance, these are things we need to eliminate. Also, we can't focus necessarily on what God wants to do in everybody else's life until we have first allowed the Lord to bring some focus to what needs to happen in our own life individually, personally. What is it about me, the guy that I look in the mirror, that needs to have some adjustments through the work of the Holy Spirit in my life? And I believe that there's never going to be a moment in your life where you're going to regret living out Romans chapter 12, verse number one, here's what it says, I'll read from the New King James. It says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you would present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” That you would present your bodies as a living sacrifice, that you would present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Get the significance of that, that God is saying that he wants you to literally give him your whole life, to bring your body before the Lord and say Lord, here I am, I give myself totally and completely to you. Verse two says this, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and the acceptable and the perfect will of God.” Now listen, we want everybody to bring their body before the Lord and present it as a living sacrifice. We want everybody to be holy and acceptable unto God, which is a reasonable service. And we want everybody I mean, if we're a follower of Jesus, we're Christian. We want everybody to be transformed in the image of Christ and not conformed to the image of this world. But here's the thing, it has to start with me and you, before revival can come to the family before revival can come to the community before revival can come to the nation, it has to come to individuals. Somebody's got to draw a circle around themselves, throw their hands in the air and say, God, let it start with me. I want to be your hands. I want to be your feet. I want you God to take my body and accept it as a living sacrifice. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And I shared on Sunday that one of the ways that this really became a focus for me and my family, as we were ending 2020 and coming into 2021, is we've been doing a devotional time together. And my son is 13. My daughter is 15. And we were going through the book of Leviticus. And it's not the most exhilarating book. In fact, my daughter often asked, while we're reading, it is like, what is the deal with all the burning stuff and sacrificing stuff, and we've got a chance to talk through how that it symbolizes so much of what Jesus Christ ultimately did for us. And so, without going into all of the depth of the book of Leviticus, we're just thinking about even Leviticus chapter nine, there's something that happens there. There's a high priest. He's supposed to be one of the holiest men on earth. He is supposed to be somebody who is being used of God in a mighty way on a daily basis. But even though he was going to minister before God, on behalf of his family, his community, and his nation, the first thing he had to do was get himself right. He had to go into the private place with God, stand before the altar of God in a very holy place, and deal with the things that was in him before God could use him to do these other things. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And so it's something that speaks to you and I, that we have to do as well. But there were five types of offerings that this high priest would facilitate. And ultimately, when you study the life of Jesus, and you read through the New Testament, specifically the epistles of Paul, you're going to discover that Jesus became each of these five offerings on our behalf. But I think there's something that we can learn, especially as we come into a new year, and we're saying, okay, God as I enter 2021, I want to make sure that I'm giving my body as a living sacrifice to you, and I'm accepting the grace of Jesus in every facet, in every area of my life possible. I think we can learn something from the five offerings that the high priest facilitated. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And so the first offering that's kind of talked about is the burnt offering. And so, the burnt offering is when they would bring either something from the herd, a young calf, perhaps; or they would bring something from the flock, a young lamb; or they would bring a turtle dove or a pigeon. And honestly, the way that that burnt offering happened was dependent upon someone's wealth or someone's financial status. If they were a person of great financial means, they would typically bring something from their herd of cattle. If it was someone that maybe was more moderate or more middle class, they would bring a lamb from their flock. Or if it was somebody who was maybe a bit poor, or struggling financially, they would bring the turtle dove or the pigeon. I guess you also could look at times where maybe it wasn't always about the wealth that may have been about how cheap somebody was, I'm sure all that played into it. But the deal was, they bring it, and they lay their hand on it, and it symbolizes that it is dying on their behalf. That specifically happened if it was from the herd or the flock, but either way, the priest would then take it and he would sacrifice it. He would kill it. The blood would be shed. And then that blood would be poured out at the altar, or sprinkled at the altar. And they would take the sacrifice and they would put it on a specific altar, and they would tie it, this altar had like four horns on it, and they would tie it down so that as it started to burn, it wouldn't come off and that it would then give this sweet smelling savor unto the Lord. They actually put some different spices and things on it that would create this sweet smelling savor. And really what that symbolized is exactly what Romans chapter 12 is talking about, that I give you my body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable. When they would bring something from the herd, when they would bring something from the flock, a pigeon or turtledove as well, it had to be without blemish. It had to have nothing wrong with. It had to be considered holy, it had to be considered acceptable. And so it's this imagery that we bring our lives and we just lay ourselves before the Lord. Or even tied down before the Lord if you will. God, I'm all in. I'm not planning on backing up on this commitment. I'm not planning on going a different direction with my life. Like God, I'm giving you my life, my body to have your way, and your will, and your purpose for it. And so that's kind of the burnt offering. It's a symbol of okay, God, I'm giving you my body. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Another offering that would be offered in the book of Leviticus was what was called the meat offering in the King James version. Honestly, that probably should be more accurately for our modern day language called the meal offering because there was no meat involved whatsoever. In the day in which the King James version was written and they would say meat many times in regards to a meal. It just meant everything all inclusive. And so it was actually a grain offering and in that time if they were going to have grain, they had to work really hard. I mean, there was a ton of physical effort that was put into it. And then they would bring the best of that grain, or the first of that grain, and then there was a process that they would take it through, and it would be offered unto the Lord in a sacrificial way. Typically, it accompanied the burnt offering sacrifice. So when they brought the burnt offering of something from the herd, something from the flock, they also brought this meal offering. And so they were done kind of side by side, or at least in progression of one another. And what that symbolizes is the fruit of the labor. So you see, what we're gonna have unfold before us is something that is progressive. That first one is symbolic of God, I give you my body as a living sacrifice. It is a form of my worship unto you. Going into 2021, God, every part of me head to toe belongs to you. But this next part, it is the meal offering, and it is I've worked god, this is something from labor, this is something I give to you. I think today, it probably doesn't do any damage to the scripture to say it has a lot to do with our generosity. It has a lot to do with, this is what my labor has produced, and now God, I'm being generous before you, I'm giving you my tithe, I'm giving you my offering, it is an extension, God, of what my labor has produced. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

The next offering that would be offered is called the peace offering. And it was an offering that really was all about reconciliation. But I think the most specific way to look at it is it was all about the table, okay. Because it was something that actually had to be eaten, while you were in the presence of the tabernacle, and it also came from the herd or from the flock. And what would happen is this, it would be sacrificed before the Lord would actually be prepared like a meal there in the presence of the altar. And then there would be a table that would be spread, and the person who was offering the peace offering, he could bring his whole family, even the priests were invited to be a part of it. And it was this communal type meal, and it was meant to say, there was sin in my life, but I have made peace with God. And now I get to sit at a table in the presence of God. So literally come into the tabernacle, spreading the table, having this sacrifice, and just enjoying the Lord. And that symbolizes the Lord's Supper to us, that we get to be at peace between Heaven and earth. We get to be at peace with God because of what Jesus has done. And we should celebrate the fact that we get to sit at a table and experience the presence of God, through the brokenness of Jesus’ sacrifice; it's a peace offering. We’re gonna circle back to that one in just a moment, and we're gonna partake of communion together. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

The next thing is where there's a transition in the offering. So these first three offerings were different than these next two offerings, okay. The first three offerings were things that you could do voluntarily. You didn't necessarily have to do it, but it was great if you did do it. So, I'm coming to God with this symbol of worship. I'm coming to God with a symbol of the fruit of my labor. I'm coming to God with a symbol that I want to sit at the table of his presence, I want to commune with Heaven; those were all voluntary. These next two were things that had to be done, or the wrath and the judgment of God was going to come down. And that fourth offering, but the first of this next category is the sin offering. And it was when they bring in the lamb, and they lay their hand on its head, and there is this confession of sin. But also it is something that the high priest specifically facilitates on behalf of, not just the Day of Atonement once a year, but on a regular basis for the sins of the people so that the wrath of God would be held back by the blood that was being shed on behalf of people's sin. Something was dying in substitution for the sins that would have deserved death, the sin offering. And it was all about sins against God, something God had said not do and they did it anyway. And they're coming in something dies in their place before the Lord. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And the next one, the fifth one in the second of this second category is the trespass offering. It's facilitated almost the exact same way as the sin offering, but it is in regards to sins not against God but against other people, okay. So there's a difference, I can sin against God, but I also can sin against other people. And so that's what the trespass offering is all about of like God has told me how I'm supposed to deal with other people. And this sin is not just something I did against God, but it's also hurt somebody else and I've trespassed against this person. Think about the Lord's Prayer, how we’re taught to pray, even how trespass has come into that. I've trespassed into somebody else's life with my sin. I have crossed a boundary with my sin into somebody else's life. And now they are hurt as a result of that, and that also bothers God. So something had to die to make that trespass right. And there's a lot that scripture has to say about the trespass offering that I think would do us a lot of good in the modern day church to spend a little time studying and thinking about it. But understand these first three offerings, the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering, those were all voluntary. But then the sin offering and that trespass offering, those were not voluntary at all. Those had to happen or the wrath of God was coming. Aren't you glad to know that five is the number of grace. And Jesus brought grace with his cross, and his life, and what he did on our behalf. But we can honor him now, by coming in this voluntary way, especially to start a new year. And I think prayerfully and worshipfully, working through what we can learn about the offerings that are shown in the book of Leviticus. And before we want somebody else to get right with God, we get ourselves right with God. And it becomes a point of prayer for you. Like you literally could walk through these five offerings as a point of prayer, even on a daily basis of God. Thinking about that burnt offering. God, I give you my life. I lay my life on the altar. I'm all in. I don't plan on getting back up God. I'm gonna stay all in for the rest of my days. God you can own hands, and you can own my feet. Think about that meal offering like something from your labor, some part of your time, some part of talent, that you can lay on the altar before God and say, God, I give you the first fruits of my labor. That peace offering. You sit down at a table or you sit down at your chair, and you have a moment with God, and you just thank him that you are at peace with him. And maybe that even means taking communion with your family on a regular basis, or even just in the private place, taking communion before the Lord. And then that sin offering of just coming before God and confessing, hey, God, I haven't loved you the way that I could have. I haven't loved you the way that I should have. God I've lost something in my first love for you. That God I,

you fill in the blank, your sins against God. But also that trespass offering of thanking God that He forgives you, what you did wrong to Buleah, what you did wrong to Freddie, how you trespassed into their life, and they got hurt. As a result, maybe they don't even know they've been hurt by it yet. But maybe there was something that happened and there just needs to be a repentance of the trespass. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Hopefully, all that makes sense to you. This might be one of these that you want to rewatch we leave these Wednesday night Bible studies up for you to go back through, and if you want to go get the notes, you can go to Eric gilbert.org, and you can pull down some notes, and you can can spend some more time thinking about this. And hopefully it enhances your prayer life. And I want you to gather those elements for communion because we're going to honor God in that way. We're going to celebrate that Jesus was our sin offering, that Jesus was our trespass offering. And we get to be at peace with Heaven as a result of that. And the least we can do now is bring God the fruit of our labor, and to bring our bodies as a living sacrifice. That's the point of everything I'm trying to share with you tonight. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And so I want to ask if you would just take this bread, I want you to break it. The Bible tells us that the breaking of this bread symbolizes what has happened in Jesus’ life, that he was broken so that we might be put back together again. I’m going to ask you, thanking God for the peace that you have in your life, despite everything that the earth’s thrown at you. Thank God for Heaven, we'll sit at the table with you tonight and eat of the bread. Jesus lifted up the cup and he told him that it represented the blood being poured out for our sin, it is the representation of the sin offering, it is the representation of the trespass offering and honestly, of each of these offerings in one way, shape, form or fashion. But thank God we're freed from our shame, we are freed from our condemnation, we are freed from our guilt. I’m going to ask you with reverential all, as Jesus is your Lord and Savior, to take and drink the cup.Thank you, Lord. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

God, I thank you for grace. I thank you for favor. I thank you, God, that right now you're visiting somebody. Somebody has rededicated their life tonight. There's somebody that's come to you for the very first time. Thank you, God, that somebody went all in. Somebody who's kind of sit on the fringe, and they've never really climbed up on the altar and said, God, you can have all of me. You can have my whole body. You can have my hands and my feet. I'm all in God. To pray, God, somebody leaves this moment truly empowered by the Holy Spirit and your grace to walk out Romans 12 one and two. Let it be done, Lord, in Jesus’ name, Jesus’ name. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

You know, one of the customs of our church is to start each year with 21 days of prayer and fasting. It's something that we've kind of set as a minimum. There’s been years where we've done 40 days, most years, we do 21 days. And this year, we're going to do that again. And for those of you that are here, joining us on a Wednesday night, I want to invite you starting tomorrow, to think and pray about going into these next 21 days, starting tomorrow, these next 21 days, of how we can pray, how we can fast, and how we can just seek God together. That we're going to go after the Lord. And we're going to believe God that in 2021, our friends and our neighbors are going to be saved as we seek the lost. And we're going to believe that people in our community, and people in our church, people in our small group, and even ourselves that we're going to be made into more effective disciples as followers of Jesus. And we're gonna believe God that he's going to be our compass. And he's going to direct us and that we are going to meet needs like we've never met them before. And maybe even as you go into some times of prayer and fasting, maybe these five offerings are five really solid prayer points for you, just to go through why it is that you're pushing back a plate in the natural because you're so much more hungry for God in the spiritual. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And listen, nobody's saying that you're not going to eat or for 21 days. If God says that to you, that's between you and him, you do what you do. I'm just saying pick out some time periods in these 21 days where maybe it's just skipping a meal, you know, once a day, or maybe it's skipping a meal one day out of each week. Or maybe it's taking an entire day out of these next three weeks. I can't fill in the blanks for you what it's supposed to look like. But I know that when we say through prayer and fasting with intentionality, God, I want more of you, the Lord honors that. And so we've put some resources together to try to help you with this. And I believe it's going to be a great time of experiencing God for so many of you. And you can go to 3trees.com, there's a link there. If you have the church app, there's also a link there. There's just some practical things to kind of help you with the whole prayer and fasting. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

There's some great books out there. I know many of you probably have heard a pastor Jensen Franklin, I mean, he's written some phenomenal books on prayer and fasting, highly recommend every single one of them. Pastor Bob Rogers, actually from here in Kentucky, even pastor Jensen credits pastor Bob with a lot of the things that he said about prayer and fasting. Pastor Bob's got some awesome stuff on that subject as well. So get some resources in your hand and just get this year started off right as first and foremost you give your body as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Listen, God bless you. It's been a real honor to be with you tonight. I'm praying for you. I'm looking forward to these Wednesday nights together. We're going to be hopefully switching up some things, doing some different things on Wednesday nights. I think it's going to be worth your while to tune in, set aside some time to join us. And I hope to see you on Sunday, you can go to 3trees.com for the addresses to our locations, and even the service times. And for those of you that are joining us on church online, man, what an honor to have you as well. God bless you. I promise you if you go with God, he'll go with you, greater things are yet to come.