Jesus was about to leave this earth but first he gathered the disciples together for their last supper with Him. The students were full of questions as the Lord talked to them about leaving this world and returning to his Father. One answer he gave is a comfort to us all, as He declared we could join him someday because I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) It's a great feeling to know the only person who can bring us into Heaven. This begs the question, "How do I get to know Jesus in the acceptable way?" because we are told that even one of the twelve disciples who walked with Him did not enter heaven. Today we look at what our Savior did and see the sacrifice of one man in place of the three lambs of the old days. The three lambs that were killed in the ceremony for the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus pointed out salvation principles to us. To find God we must first admit our guilt as sinners and seek His righteousness. Then we may ask forgiveness through Jesus Christ and receive it by our faith. Finally we are to live as a servant of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is how a person can know The Way, The Truth and The Life.
The Old Testament pattern from Leviticus was designed to show us the different features of man's redemption. After each of the lambs was slain we see a different explanation given for the atonement. In the case of the guilt lamb, Lev 14:18 says an atonement for him before the Lord. Everything about this first lamb was concerned with the guilt of man before the Lord. Our guilt must be removed in order for our soul to have a relationship with our creator, remembering that the cleansing of our heart is interrelated to the holiness of our physical life.
Now consider the very exclusive sin offering which was the second lamb. Its purpose is given in Lev 14:19 an atonement for him that is to be cleansed. The only way any man will ever be cleansed is to transfer his guilt to the one who can pay the price. It is now revealed to us that through the cross of Christ this transfer can be made. Jesus paid the price needed to redeem all people on the earth when He gave his life. The reason that all men are not saved is because they do not humbly come to Christ and ask Him to take their sins away and use their life to serve God. Salvation leaves people with a clean slate and the freedom to serve God. This is also where we find our justification for the purpose of living with God someday.
The third lamb shows us another facet of salvation an atonement for him and he shall be clean. In Lev 14:20 another purpose is revealed for what Jesus does when he redeems us. Christ makes us clean here on earth so we can be consecrated totally to God. For some reason God decided to let us carry out his will and we cannot seriously believe that a human is capable of doing God's work while living like the world does.
In the ceremony of the cleansing of the leper, the three uses of oil were straightforward and they made it clear that the Spirit is the only one capable of bringing all the spiritual things of God into our lives. Jesus said he would ask the Father to send the Spirit to earth to live in us. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:15) The first use of the oil represented our complete sanctification because it was sprinkled seven times before the Lord. The second use of the oil was to place it over top of the blood. Although Jesus provided the cleansing blood on the cross all alone, the Spirit is the one who brings its power to us today. The last of the three uses was to pour oil upon the head of the man. This shows the anointing of power which is for the purpose of making God real here on Earth. It is through a holy life that the manifestations of the Spirit work their best.
If we desire to be in the image of God our soul must be brought into the operation of the Spirit's power. Without the operation of the Holy Spirit through our bodies we will become just observers of Christianity. By faith a believer must step out of their comfort zone and into God's will before the power of the Spirit will ever be seen in their work. Jesus is in heaven on the throne of power that God gave him and He has sent the Spirit to bring this power to his followers. The power is only sent to people who put their faith into action. In fact John said that if we don't love others we cannot know God, And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)
God's help to us is the salvation plan and we have seen it by using the Old Testament pattern for cleansing a leper. By understanding the plan of God and utilizing the power He has made available, a person can be ready to live in the new world. You may have observed that God's plan presents repentance and sanctification before justification. This is not the same order our church teaches today but it is in the Scriptures as our pattern. Some people need to see it in the New Testament and one good place is in 1 Cor 6:11 where the order is repeated, but ye are washed (repentance), but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified...By the Spirit of our God.
The truth (Jesus) must become the solid rock of our life as we follow the Spirit of God and walk uprightly. Jesus had not yet come to earth at the time of the Law, but people could see what kind of life God expected from them and they knew help would come later. What a privilege it is to have the plan made real to us.
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