February 25, 2007
Scripture:
Turn to Genesis 4, the story of Cain and Abel; v. 10: “And he said, What hast thou done?” We were just singing those words, but it was in a totally different context. It is sad and solemn to see the details at the beginning of Genesis. We start with Creation in chapters 1 & 2, but in chapter 3, man disobeys, and God asks, “Where art Thou?” (v. 9). In chapter 4, Cain slays righteous Abel and God asks, “What hast thou done?”; two questions God has asked through the ages: Where are you? and what are you doing? In chapter 3, man sins against God; in chapter 4, man sins against man. This comes into focus more and more after the 10 commandments came; in them we can see man’s responsibility to man, and man’s responsibility to God. “What hast thou done?” We have asked that question in our hymn: “Oh blessed Lord, what hast thou done?” But we have a different answer, because He did not come to destroy the law, but to magnify it and make it honourable. He became that perfect Man to go to the cross and die for our sins against God and man. “Oh blessed Lord, what hast Thou done?” This morning we remember the One who accomplished a perfect salvation, available to lost man through given faith. How we can honour and praise Him who doeth all things well!
EG Hymn 367 – When He cometh, when He cometh, Prayer • Last time we began to look at the cloud that lead Moses and the Children of Israel; it signifies the presence of God among them. We saw how, after the Passover, the Egyptians were willing to let them go to Canaan, the Promised Land. But they didn’t know the way. As Exodus 13:20–22 tells us, the Lord went before them as the cloud. In the day, it was a cloud and at night, a pillar of fire; so it did not just lead them: it gave them shade by day and light by night. And so they started off towards the Red Sea. But before long, Pharaoh changed his mind; he wanted his slaves back. So he sent his army, full of chariots, after them (Exodus 14:3–7). Read v.
Hebrews 13:10–15 • Last week we were talking about that altar, and how Christ is the altar, the offering, and the priest. No Gentile, or even any Israelite, was allowed into the Holy of Holies; only the high priest went in once a year, under special preparation. We now have an altar that no Israelite under the law can come to. This brings us to vv. 11–13, which are connected by the word “without.” This talks about offerings. From the Old Testament, we know that Burnt Offerings were offered on the brazen altar and Sin Offerings were offered without the camp. We mentioned last week that the Hebrews words used for burning are different in each sacrifice: in the Burnt Offering, the word connotes a savour ascending; in the Sin Offering, it is the sacrifice being consumed. Both the Sin Offering and the Trespass Offering were burnt “without the camp.” The camp was the organized layout of the Children of Israel when they were stopped. So why is the Sin Offering burnt without the camp? It is a picture of the Lord, who was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem, which had become the “camp” when the Israelites entered Canaan (and stopped travelling). In the sacrifices, there were those that met the needs of the people and those that met the need of God. When Christ was made sin for us, he met both God’s and our need. Now, v. 11 is the type, v. 12 is the antitype, and v. 13 is the application. “Without the camp” signifies reproach. The Lord was made sin, and sin could not be in Jerusalem, “the holy city”; that was His reproach. Our application is another “Let us.” In the type, we see a sacrifice; in the antitype, we see a sacrifice. In the application, we will offer sacrifices, and we will get to that. But right now, if this will be practical, what is the camp for us? It is “respectable religion”, worship that is connected with form and sometimes even politics. Christendom at large has copied the Israelite camp, in that it connects to a building and has a humanly-ordained leader. But notice what it says, “Let us go forth therefore unto him.” He isn’t there in the camp. We don’t have a cloud, but we have His presence, and that of the Holy Spirit. It could have been frightening for a Gentile to see the Israelite camp all following a cloud; people were equally surprised at Pentecost. But now, it is looked down on. Mr. N. Burgess had an employer who said he knew a man who went to a meeting that had no name. The employer said, “If you are going to connect yourself to a religion, at least connect yourself to something.” That is the reproach. But how do you explain it to someone? “Where do you go?” “I gather with those who want to gather to the Lord’s name.” That is a novel thing today. But although we are without the camp, we are within the veil. EG Hymn 345 – Jesus loves the little children, Prayer