SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM - CONSIDER THIS

WEEK TWENTY FOUR
May 30, 2010 – June 5, 2010

READINGS: Leviticus 2-7, Romans 8:1-3, Hebrews 4:14-16

SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
Today, on Memorial Day, since we are celebrating freedom and remembering those who sacrificed for freedom, and since Leviticus is all about sacrifice, I thought it would be a good time to think about the freedoms that we have – both living in Christ and living in the United States.

SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
Think of the freedoms we enjoy because of Christ’s sacrifice: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man” Romans 8:1-3; “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God… Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
Think of the freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifices of the men and women in the armed forces: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” First Amendment

SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
Now, picture what life was like before Christ’s once for all sacrifice:
Leviticus 2-3: When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be… if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering… And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma.
Leviticus 4-6:7 If anyone sins unintentionally…if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed…If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally…When a leader sins…If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally… If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify…yet does not speak…"If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD… If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor…. the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven.
Leviticus 6:8-7:38: This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, 3which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai. The priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven.

SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
And picture what life is like without our United States freedoms…
From "The Voice of the Martyrs", March 2002: The following statistics, which show Christians persecuted for their faith, relate only to a small branch of China's giant house church movement. This small branch contains less than 500,000 members, and is less than one percent of China's Christians. These statistics cover a 19-year period through 2001.: Christians arrested: 23,686 - Christians sent away for "re-education through labor": 4,014 - Christians forced to flee to avoid arrest: 1,545 - Christians permanently handicapped by police abuse: 208 - Christians killed by police: 129



SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
Because of Jesus’, once for all sacrifice, we have freedom from condemnation, sin, and death, and the need to follow all those daily rules, regulations, and restrictions regarding sacrifices. Because of Jesus’ once for all sacrifice we have the freedom to approach the throne of Grace with confidence without fear of judgment or the sting of God’s wrath. And Jesus’ resurrection assures us that, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, our life in Christ will continue into eternity.

Because of the sacrifices of the men and women in the armed forces and as citizens of the United States we are assured, by the first amendment, the freedom to believe in Jesus, speak about Jesus and worship Jesus as we choose.

SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
But consider this…. Does our freedom from sacrifice lead us to take for granted the life we have because of His sacrifice? Does our freedom from the rules, regulations, and restrictions of the law lead us to disobedience and to dishonor our Lord and Savior? Does our freedom to exercise and speak about Jesus and to worship as we choose lead us to complacency?

What if we became the new China – or the new Islam, or the new Africa - and the freedoms we enjoyed were stripped from us? Would we, as followers of Christ Jesus, take a stand for Jesus Christ in our life, our mission, and our churches? Would we be willing to risk being tortured, beaten, and even put to death for Jesus? If our answer is a resounding YES, then my question is – are we doing that now – and if not – why not????

SACRIFICE AND FREEDOM – CONSIDER THIS
This memorial Day and every day - I challenge us, as believers and followers of Christ Jesus to…“Stand up stand up for Jesus – ye soldiers of the cross – Lift high HIS royal banner, it must not suffer loss” – remembering that…”From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army He shall lead – Till every foe is vanquished and CHRIST IS LORD INDEED!!!” (Hymn 660)

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16