The Fire on the Altar - Leviticus 6:8-13
The LORD said to Moses: 9 “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. 10 The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.
In this passage the fire represents the presence of God. There is great emphasis placed on how we should not be outside of God's presence. In terms of following God, there are two main points:
1. It’s about love and relationship
2. Relationships take work
It is about relationship. Jesus was in relationship with His disciples. Look at this verse in John 13:25 (The Message)
“One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved dearly, was reclining against him, his head on his shoulder.”
There is intimacy there.
It is not just about relationship, but a loving relationship. In fact, scripture uses marriage to describe our relationship with God. Marriage was used in the Old Testament, including in Genesis with the two becoming one. Throughout the New Testament there are references to Jesus being the bridegroom and His followers are the bride, culminating in Revelation with the wedding of the Lamb.
The analogy goes even a step further to pace emphasis on the intimacy in marriage in Song of Solomon. Greater than the sexual relationship is the intimacy in the marriage.
These all point to the type of intimate relationship the Lord desires to have with us.
2. Relationships take work
There is a fallacy that we have bought into about dating. People often say things like "Marriage is tough; I wish it were easy like when we were dating." But the truth is that we worked incredibly hard when we were dating! We spent so much time on our appearance and we would go so far as avoiding eating certain foods that might give us bad breath. As people are together longer, they actually work less hard.
Can the same be said of my relationship with Jesus? I remember when I first met Him, I was trying to weave every conversation into an opportunity to speak to others about Him. The good is I learned to temper my zeal with wisdom and tact, but I hope I didn't give greater effort in the past to pursuing Jesus than I do now.
You see, God is NOT against effort. He is just against merit. He desires effort, but He doesn't want us thinking we are earning anything from it, especially His love. We cannot earn His love or favor. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He didn’t wait for us and it is a good thing He didn’t. We should all celebrate the fact that God's love for us is not based on our effort or performance! I love this verse: 2 Timothy 2:13 - "If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." We love him because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). He loves us and we want to love Him back.
We are not called to be just converts, but disciples. In 1 Timothy 4:7 we are told to “train yourselves to be godly.” The Greek word used here and in 3 other verses is "gumnazo", from which we get "gymnasium." It literally means “to train with one’s full effort.”
This effort or work is motivated by love and is within the context of relationship.
Philippians 2:12-13
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
We are working while God is working in us. It does take some effort. There are times when you don’t feel like it and it is a “have to” instead of a “want to.”
You will experience the 3 D’s of Devotion:
1. Drudgery
2. Discipline
3. Delight
Today I want to give you some very practical tools.
Everyone wants to know – What is God’s will for my life? In general terms, it is found in one verse
Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…
God’s will is that in our relationship with Him, He would change us to be more like Christ.
How? He uses the incredible 1-2 Punch Combo!
Prayer – not talking to Jesus, but with Him
God’s Word – getting into His Word and allowing His Word to get in us
Prayer and Bible reading go hand in hand:
If I don’t pray, I won’t understand His Word.
If I don’t read His Word, I won’t know how to pray according to His will.
It is important to have a Daily Quiet Time.
Why? (Your Why determines your what!). Here is why:
1. Jesus set example by pursuing deeper relationship with the Father.
2. You pursue someone you love.
Here are some tips on having a Daily Quiet Time:
*Make an appointment. For me, if it is on my calendar, it happens. Schedule it.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops. – Proverbs 3:9
Luke 5:16 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Psalm 50:14 (NLT) -Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
*Know it will cost you something. It will take some time and discipline, but the Lord will honor your sacrifice.
Hebrews 13:15 - Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
1 Chronicles 21:24 - But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. – Psalm 51:17
*Be consistent in your timing. I am a morning person and I am not sharp in the evening. So giving the Lord my best is meeting with Him in the morning. For you it may be evening. There are examples in the Bible of seeking the Lord in the morning, evening, and both.
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Psalm 63:6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night
Both! Isaiah 26:9 My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you
*Find a place free of distractions. Try to make it a time for just you and Jesus.
I like acronyms that help me remember. PRESS is one for your devotional Bible reading:
PRESS
Pray
Read
Examine
Summarize
Share
Pray
Pray for understanding
- John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth
Pray the Bible
Colossians 1:9-12 …We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father…
In marketing, products have features and benefits. The key words are “so that.” When you see those words, you know it is a benefit. These tires have aqua tread (feature) so that your family will be safe (benefit). The features God is offering us in this passage are filling, knowledge of his will, wisdom, and understanding, for this benefit…so that live a life worthy of the Lord, please Him, bearing fruit, good work, knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, glorious might, great endurance, patience, joyful thanks! That is a passage to pray that the Lord would do that in our lives.
Read
If you are new to the Bible, start with the Gospel of John. Finish that and then go back to Matthew and read through the New Testament. You can skip John since you already read it. Only then should you go to the Old Testament and start with Psalms and Proverbs, then start with Genesis and read through. Raise your hand if you started in Genesis and got seriously stumped in Leviticus.
Slow down. Quality over quantity.
Examine
Your mind will wander – so engage.
Ask: Who? What? Why? Where? How?
Look in passage for SPACE
S - Sins to confess
P - Promises to claim
A - Attitudes to have or avoid
C - Commands to obey
E - Examples to follow
Summarize
Before reading next section of scripture, do following
Rewrite each verse in your own words.
Condense each sentence into one word.
Sum up each paragraph into a short sentence or one word.
Best Practice: Ask these two important questions: 1. Lord, what are you telling me? 2. How can I put it into practice?
Luke 6: 46-49 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
In this passage both heard the words of Christ and both had the storms of life come. The difference is one put His words into practice.
Share
Share with God about what you have read.
Share with at least one other person what you have learned.
Journal – 2 Tim 2:7 “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”
We are 4 times more likely to remember something we write down! (Are you taking sermon notes?)
A good memory tool for prayer is TACOS
Thanksgiving
Adoration
Confession
Others
Self
Thanksgiving
John 6:41 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
1 Thess 5:8 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Adoration
Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Confession
When you praise Him, you are ushered into His presence. As you see His holiness, you, like the prophet Isaiah, will become aware of your sinfulness and it is a natural progression into confession.
Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
And we have this promise in 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Others
John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
-Start Near and move out – family, friends, unsaved, government, etc.
Self
Pray for your heart, relationships, Pray “Be” prayers, not just “Do” prayers.
8 Warnings: Guard your heart against…
1.Stranger Danger
When I was dating Barbara, who is now my wife, I was playing college basketball. We had one long road trip that involved several away games. I was missing her and I got a letter from her. A teammate said to me “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so giddy?” I told him about the letter. Since he knew her, I had him read it and he finished and just shrugged. I was offended. Why couldn’t he see how awesome it was? Because, unlike me, he was not in love with the author.
You cannot know the Bible until you know the Author (Jesus). Here is proof – there are educated people, even PhD’s, who are fools, because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
2.Busyness (including Christian service!)
In the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we minister to and through the coach. We have done a decent job of ministering through the coach, but not so good at the “to” part. We can do the same with the Lord and skip allowing Him to minister TO us before trusting Him to minister THROUGH us. To and through and in that order.
Martha was so busy serving Jesus that she neglected to love & enjoy Him
3.Neglect
Think about this, for the Priests in the Leviticus passage, there was nothing exciting about keeping a fire going. It was very custodial and they may have thought it was beneath them. But this continual attention and care ensured the fire (presence of God) would not fade.
Understanding is the key to caring for anything: a plant, a nation, a human heart. There is a tendency to begin strong and fade. These small incremental neglects may go unnoticed. A frog in pot will not jump out if the temperature is turned up slowly, even to his death.
4.Compartmentalizing. It is easy to have a quiet time and rush out to face the day in my own strength and wisdom, to get it done and move on. God gets 15 minutes and you get the rest! Similar to tithing 10% and then doing whatever you want with the remaining 90%. He owns it all, including our time.
5.Compromise. This causes the fire to go out. We lose vision of Christ and passion for Christ and passion to pursue Him. The song “Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns is a great warning.
6.Religion. We have to guard against focusing on the outward while neglecting the motives of the heart. It needs go beyond duty to relationship. While I was in college at Oral Roberts University, I was a fairly new believer and I began spending an hour a day in quiet time. But it became very regimented and not relational. I would go to this loft on the top floor of the dorm that few students even knew about. One morning before I could launch into my reading, I just sat for a moment and didn’t pray or read; I just sat in His presence. I had this picture in my head of a dog wanting to be close to its master and it was as if the Lord was patting me on the head and saying “I’m glad you are here.” It was one of the most blessed times I have ever had with God because it was from the heart.
7.Pride. Careful not to try to impress others with your time with God! 1 Cor 8:1 Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Resist the desire to tell others about your QT, how long you prayed, recite memorized Bible verses. This has never happened to me, but I’ve heard others have struggled with these things!! LOL
8.Casual Observer v. Active Participant
James 1:22 says, Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Let’s mix up our schedule to pursue Him in response to Him pursuing us.
Let’s pray.
