NOTES OF AN ADDRESS
“And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and, It shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him."—LEV. 1: 4.
ON looking into the Gospels, and tracing the words and varied ministry of Jesus, we cannot fail to be struck with His frequent reference to the authority of Scripture. This is a most important point to dote in a day like this, when Scripture is thought so little of, and men's writings are so much extolled. You remember how successfully the Lord overcame the temptations of Satan by, "It is written:" how He exposed the errors of the Pharisees by, "Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God:” how He met His adversaries on another occasion with, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal' life, and they are they which testify of Me." Of course, it was the Old Testament writings to which our Lord referred; the New Testament was not then written; and this settles the point, not only of their authority, but that they so testify of Christ, that no one can rightly understand their meaning, who does not see Christ in them.
The Lord also remarkably honored the books of ores. Not only did He say, "Moses, wrote of Me," but He said, If they had believed Moses, they would have believed Me; and, after His resurrection from the dead, we are told that "beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself." This divine evidence of the authority and worth of Moses' writings, is of all-importance just now, when so many would have us look at such a chapter as we have read as an old parchment, that has been done with and laid aside, and only now to be regarded as a mere historical record.
This chapter, Lev. 1, is a part of the Mosaic writings. To the natural eye, nothing can be seen, but an old legal ordinance, that has passed away. Not so, however; for by the testimony of Christ Himself, and the gracious ministry of the Holy Ghost come down from heaven, to dwell in us and teach us, we find Christ most blessedly presented. The apostle Paul refers to it in the 2nd verse of the 5th chapter of Ephesians 5:1212For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. (Ephesians 5:12)
It is not now my purpose to expound this chapter, but to confine my remarks more particularly to the precious subject of Acceptance. The Old Testament, as well as the New, teaches this blessed truth. In Eph. 1 we read, "Wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." It is all of God, and therefore to the praise of the glory of His grace. It is a fact, that each of us now is either "accepted" or not. In the testimony both of prophet and apostle, we have beautifully set before us, what we are to understand by a person being accepted in God's sight. Such are the depths of divine mercy that God has come down to us in Christ, and not only delivered us from the wrath to come, to whit we were so justly exposed, death but given us to stand in favor and blessing before Him in Christ glorified, in perfect unchanging love.
For a man to need acceptance shews that he must be far from God, unclean and unfit for His presence. So it is. Man fell, was turned out of Eden, because he had sinned, and ever since the one question has been about reconciliation and acceptance. Man's utter ruin, as fallen, is greatly lost sight of, and, sad to think, by many ignored. Some say, "I am as God made me." This is not true. Others say, "Man was made for this world." I have lately seen it in print. This too is false. He was made for Eden, when there was neither curse nor death. This world is under judgment, for Jesus said in prospect of the Cross, "Nov is the judgment of this world," and we know that curse and death are here. These, and many other sentiments of the day, are doctrines of men who ignore the solemn fact of man's utter ruin and distance from God. The man of this world knows no more of the presence of God, than Adam did when God drove him out of Eden.
The way in which God accepts man is strikingly shown in this chapter. First, it was through a spotless sacrifice; secondly, it must be killed before the Lord, and blood sprinkled; thirdly, it must be that which God could wholly accept; fourthly, the man attained all the blessedness of acceptance through connection with the offering.
First, then, a spotless sacrifice must be, found—"He, shall offer a male without blemish." (v. 3.) Acceptance, then, is wholly through sacrifice, not by works, prayers, or anything else of man. How many are looking at their feelings, or doings, or experience, to see whether they are accepted; but here we see it is entirely through a burnt offering. It is not a question of good intentions, or good desires; but there must be an unblemished offering presented to God, or there could be no ground for a single person being accepted.
Surely Jesus the Son of God is the unblemished one, and we are told that He "offered Himself without spot to God." It is the personal worth of Christ that gives such efficacy to His work. We know that He was truly man and truly God—God manifest in Are flesh. He is called the Lamb without blemish and without spot. Once and again the heaven opened over Him, when God declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." It is because He was without spot, inwardly and outwardly, the Holy One of God, that He was suited to be a sacrifice for suet guilty, sinful creatures as we. If there had been E single spot, the smallest blemish, the minutest taint of evil in Him, He would not have been a fit sacrifice for us,—a burnt offering.
Secondly. The sacrifice was killed—"He shall kit the bullock before the Lord, and the priests Aaron's sons shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood, &c (v. 5.) Nothing less than death could meet the case so nothing less than the death of Christ could meet our need. Christ hath loved us, and given Himself for us, a sacrifice and an offering to God for a sweet smell lug savor. What love! The absolute necessity of the death of Christ for our acceptance was insisted on by Him in His ministry." Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit." Thus we see Christ Must have been alone—He could not have us with Him unless He had died. He was infinitely holy. Death therefore had no claim upon Him; and though He died for us, He could not possibly be holden of death. It is a marvelous mystery that the Prince of Life died. We are told, "they killed the Prince of life," but He saw no corruption. He could say in the prospect of death, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption." If He had not been the unblemished One, He could not have died for us; if He had not died, we could not have been brought to God. The death of Jesus is therefore the ground of our acceptance with God. The poured out blood was shed for us, and the risen and ascended One went into heaven itself by His own blood. The blood gives us title to stand before God in His holy presence for ever.
Thirdly. The offering must be that which God could wholly accept and find rest in—a savor of rest. The priest shall burn all upon the altar, a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (v. 9.) The whole offering is so perfect that all can be presented to God as a sweet savor. In this account of the burnt offering, the Holy Ghost lays before us in symbol the infinite perfections of Jesus. When searched by the fire of divine holiness He was found wholly acceptable to God. The offering was "cut into his pieces," and “the parts, the head, and the fat, were put upon the wood, that is on the fire, which is upon the altar." The inwards also and legs were washed, that they might fitly typify the inward holiness and walk of the Holy Son of God. So if you look at Jesus as to his person, life, walk, ministry, every part was fully acceptable to God. As to inward feeling He could emphatically say, "I love the Father." "My meat and drink is to do the will of Him that sent me." Never did a desire or a thought emanate from His heart that did not glorify God. Trace Him in every department of His course, in private walk, social intercourse, alone with disciples, or in public ministry; see Him in temptation in the wilderness with wild beasts and hungry; observe Him, when they came by force to make Him a king, or when, on another occasion, they bade Him to depart out of their coasts; look at Him with multitudes crying out, "Hosanna," or not long after when all the people cried out, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him," when one betrayed Him, another denied Him, and all his disciples forsook Him and fled; consider Him forsaken of God, and in unutterable woe, crying out, "My God, my God, why host thou forsaken me?" Wherever you view Him, from Bethlehem's manger, till He cried with a loud voice, "It is finished," every thought, feeling, act, and word was always well pleasing to God. Well, it is the infinite perfection of Himself that gives such everlasting value to all He did; and, thank God, it was all for us. All was burnt, all was accepted, all was for God, all was consumed on the altar. "He offered Himself without spot to God," and God found a sweet savor in it all. He glorified God in the earth. He finished the work which the Father gave Him to do. The death of Christ was not only the accomplishment of divine righteousness, but in it God was infinitely glorified about our sins, and we see also the perfectness of the Son's love to the Father, His perfect obedience, and the perfect love of the Good Shepherd for the sheep.
But there is another most important point—there must be identification with the offering. Many know that Jesus was holy and that He died for sinners; they have heard too again and again of His infinite perfectness, and yet they know that they are not saved. How is this? Because while their intellects have been informed, their hearts have never known personal contact with the Savior. They have never really felt their need and danger, because they have never considered their lost and guilty condition. They believe there was a wonderful person here called Jesus, but they have never believed on Him for salvation. They have not touched Him by faith, have not fled for refuge to His open arms of mercy. Whatever therefore they may know, they are as far from salvation as those perishing souls who were just outside the ark in Noah's day. You have seen a locomotive engine, with a long line of carriages standing close behind it. The whistle has sounded, the engine moved rapidly on, but the carriages remained perfectly still, and were all left behind. Why is this? Because they were not linked to the engine. So it is with souls. Many hear of Christ, read of Him, and oh how solemn, speak of Him, but they are not saved, because they are not (if I may so say) linked with Christ. Have you, my dear hearers, received Christ? Are you accepted in the Beloved? These are vital questions. If you are not, it is because you have not looked to Him, and trusted in Him to save you. Faith is the link. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The vilest sinner that takes refuge in Him, with the heartfelt utterance,
“Myself into thine arms I cast,
Lord save this sinful one at last,”
is linked with the Lord Jesus; for He receives all, welcomes all, and keeps for ever all who come to Him. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37).)
It is said in our chapter, that "He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering;" and those who have abandoned every other refuge, and simply rested in the record God hath given of His Son,—believed. God's word concerning the atoning work of Jesus—can intelligently sing,
“My soul looks back to see
The burden Thou didst bear,
When hanging on the cursed tree,
And knows her guilt was there.”
When the hand was laid upon the head of the sacrifice, observe that it was God who said, "It shall be accepted for him." So now, if you can say, "My trust is simply in Christ and His finished work," you are linked by faith to Christ, you are "accepted in the Beloved." There is no room for a doubt. You have God's word for it. It is God who says, that He “so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The word of God thus gives a divine certainty to our souls. Suppose the offering without spot had been provided, and the man had not put his hand on the head of it, what profit would it have been to him? None at all. So it is that many in the present day hear of the atoning work of Christ, and know much Bible truth; but they are not saved, because they look not to Jesus, nor trust in Him.
It is the certainty of present acceptance, based on the finished work of the Son of God, and the unalterable word of God, that is the spring of all true communion, worship, and service. Being consciously brought into the light of God's holy presence, as objects of His perfect love, in the enjoyment of that perfect peace which His never-failing word warrants, our hearts are constrained to serve, and honor, and follow Him, in whom we have acceptance and redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." This is not merely an informing light, that which informs the intellect; but living light communicating living blessing to the heart, and filling it with joy and gladness in the Lord.
If, dear friends, any of you are not trusting in Christ, and Christ alone, and His finished work, may you do so now, and have the joy of knowing that you are "accepted in the Beloved," and now stand before God in all the fragrance of the acceptability of Christ.
The character of the acceptance then is that of the risen and accepted Christ, for you are accepted in Him. Is He alive for evermore? then you have everlasting life, for Christ is your life. Is He near to God? so are you made nigh in Him,—as near to God as He is. Is He righteous? then you are righteous as He is; for Christ is made of God unto us righteousness. Hence we are told, that "as He is, so are we in this world." Wondrous truth! But all this is involved in the glorious fact that we are "made accepted in the Beloved." By and by it will be known that the Father has loved us as He loved Jesus. Precious reality! lay you fully receive God's own unfoldings of His grace, and follow Christ!