Sam Taylor - Class 3: Faithfulness and Dedicaton

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Thanks, Brother Josh. And with that, I'll hand it over to Brother Sam to give his class Faithfulness and Dedication. Brother Sam. Well, thank you very much again. And again, good morning to everybody. I hope you've all had an opportunity to stretch your legs and be refreshed both in mind and in spirit and in stomach this morning. In our last class, when we met Zadok, he was a young man, eager to pledge his loyalty to the king.

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   Even though he was young in the truth, he had zeal and a reputation for being a man of action, and this empowered him to be a good example to those captains and those who gathered to make David their king. And this was reminiscent of a newly baptized brother or sister, almost like a supercharged battery that was able to give off its excess energy to others, that they might too be encouraged.

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   And it reminds us, didn't it, of that fire that we had at the beginning. And we feel that daily desire to recapture the glow that we once had when we were new and zealous for the truth. Yet, despite our best efforts, the word of God that burned within us, the word of God that burned within us, can become extinguished by the cares of this life. Bible study and fellowship that was once sought for with fervor, they can become tired habits. And apathy takes hold in our hearts, in our minds. And yet, in these times, our spiritual health, it doesn't feel bad, per se. Because we're still active, we still go to meeting, perhaps we're still at CYC, but there's a sense of going through a fog, going through the motions, until one day, you slip.

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   And then that spiritual health, which was once hazy and out of focus, suddenly comes into sharp focus, and everything becomes crystal clear, like 2010 vision. Everything is far clearer than it ever was, even at your best. And what do you do when that hits you? Do you despair or rise? If this seems familiar, know this for certain. You're in good company. Because in Romans chapter 3, Paul says, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everybody, save for Lord Jesus Christ, has gone through this exact pattern in your spiritual lives. From that hazy apathy, to suddenly realizing that something needs to change. But what? How? Where do I start?

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   We've all been through it. And in 1 Chronicles chapter 15, what we had read for us, that was the second attempt to bring the ark into Jerusalem. And unfortunately, there was a first. And the first had unfortunate consequences. So why don't you turn with me over to 1 Chronicles chapter 13.

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   We'll read from verses 5 to 12 in 1 Chronicles chapter 13. So David gathered all Israel together from Shihor of Egypt, even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-Jerim. And David went up and all Israel to Baalah, that is, to Kirjath-Jerim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God Yahweh, that dwelleth between the cherubim, whose name is called on it. And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab. And Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart. And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, with timbrels, with cymbals, and trumpets. And when they came to the threshing floor of Kaidan, Uzzah put forth his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Uzzah, and he smote him because he put his hand to the ark. And there he died before God.

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   And David was displeased because Yahweh had made a breach upon Uzzah, wherefore that place is called Perez-Uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of God that day, saying, how shall I bring the ark of God home to me? So what we see here is that the first time David tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem, they brought it on a cart. But if you don't have it in your margins, you should take a look over at Numbers 4 in verse 15, because it's there we see how the ark was supposed to be carried.

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   So keep your hand in 1 Chronicles chapter 13. And again, turn over to Numbers chapter 4 in verse 15. And here's what we read concerning the service of the Kohathites, of the sons of Levi. And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it, but they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. These things are the burdens of the son of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. So they had this on a cart, driven by an ox.

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   It was supposed to be born on the shoulders of the Kohathites. And the nation's failure to adhere to this, it was costly. And this man Uzzah, he was a son of a man called Abinadab. And it was in the house of Abinadab where the ark had been contained for something like 20 years before David had it in his heart to bring it to Jerusalem. And Uzzah was concerned with the things of God. He reached out to grab it after all. He cared for it. But the only education he had ever received about how to handle the ark, it didn't come from the mouth of the priests. It didn't come from example. It came from how the Philistines brought it back to Israel when they sent it back to them on a cart. That was the only experience that he had with holy things, the way that the world treated holy things. And because he relied on his instinct and didn't seek education or instruction, he paid for it with his life.

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    And David was so terrified, he had to leave the ark in the house of a Gentile for three whole months as he sat there and brooded on what was he going to do. And during that three months, you can imagine how tense of a time that was for Israel. And overshadowing the Levites, overshadowing the priests, and I imagine overshadowing one priest in particular, was this realization in the back of their heads that they could have done something, that they could have prevented this had they spoken up.

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    They slipped. This wasn't in a time of depravity. There was great joy in celebration. They did everything with all their might, but they didn't do it in the proper order. And the nation paid the cost for it. And that's what happens. When we try going through the motions in our worship, when we try cutting corners, we don't seek the proper way of doing things. We just do things out of zeal, without understanding. We're going to pay the price for that. And it might not be today. It might not be as dramatic as being struck dead on the spot. I certainly hope not. But we'll pay the price for that one day. And so we have to be very mindful of how we treat the holy things of God, to not treat God's holiness the way the world treats it, casually, being carted about by common things.

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    But you see, David did learn his lesson. And we read that for us, didn't we, in 1 Chronicles 15, verse 2. Because what does David say? None ought to carry the ark of God, but the Levites. For them hath Yahweh chosen to carry the ark of God and administer unto him forever. He learned this lesson, and he probably learned it by consulting the priests. But before they tried again, before they tried this avenue of worship again, David had to call the spiritual leaders of the Levites. And he does this in verses 11 through 13. And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priest. And here, Zadok, again, earlier in our first class, he was mentioned as Zadok the young man. But some time has passed.

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    It's probably been about seven years, at least. He's not a young man anymore. He's made his commitment. He's now a priest unto Yahweh. But even though he's still someone of a young man, likely, but he's already considered a spiritual leader, not just a spiritual leader, but he's mentioned first of all the list of names, Zadok and Abiathar. And for the Levites, Uriel, Isaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, Aminadab. Of all those, Zadok is first.

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    Age is not an excuse for not speaking up if we know the truth. Israel and Uzzah, they needed education to know how to handle God's holy things. You don't have to turn there, but in Malachi chapter 2, verse 7, we're told the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of Yahweh of hosts. So the priests ultimately bore a responsibility for the failure of the nation to deal with God's holy things. And Zadok, mentioned first and foremost among that list of names, shows that he was looked up to. He saw something was amiss, and perhaps it was peer pressure. Nobody else was saying anything, so why should I say anything? But he knew what the Word of God said. The king knew what the Word of God said. He had to say something, but he didn't. It cost a man his life, and it cost a separation between God and the nation for about three months before he decided to approach God properly.

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    But what did Zadok do? Did Zadok despair, or did he rise? What we have here in these verses and the next chapter, they illustrate the principle of how we rededicate ourselves to God when we stumble. We're going to take a look at eight steps illustrated, and it's appropriate that it's eight because eight is the number of circumcision, the number of cutting off the flesh. Because if we seek to rededicate ourselves to God, we too should seek to cut off the flesh from our own lives and serve God with a pure heart and a pure mind, and not being double-minded in these things. So what is step one? Well, step one is shown for us in verses 12 and 13 of this chapter, and that is to seek out the spiritual advice of a friend or an elder. You see, Zadok, he knew he bore some responsibility, and David wanted to talk to him. And it's to Zadok's credit that he was willing to hear him out. See, to seek help, to seek guidance, it's the first step in making meaningful change. And when we're caught up in our sins, when we're caught up in our struggles, our judgment can be clouded, and we can be biased to thinking that we're doing what's right. But when we seek out the advice and the guidance of a friend, one who hopefully loves God more than they love us, that's the first step in making meaningful change.

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    Because what does it say in James 5 verse 16? It says, confess your faults one to another and pray one for another. We have to remove the facade that everything is fine. And that requires humility to confess our faults, to say, I've messed up. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to start, but I've messed up. Help me. That humility is required. In Proverbs 27 verse 17, it tells us that as iron sharpens iron, so does a man sharpen the countenance of his friend.

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    And it's not a pretty process. No, it's not pretty. Because if you see iron sharpening iron, sparks are going to fly everywhere. There's a loud noise. Yeah, because that's what it means when one good friend in the truth calls you out on what's going on with your spiritual shortcomings. There's going to be conflict. There's going to be sparks flying around. But it's mutually beneficial because iron sharpeneth iron. When we reach out to our brothers and sisters and those that are when we're struggling, we get to help them by giving them an opportunity to examine their own lives to help us. And it strengthens that relationship so that they might be in the same situation one day and they know that they can confide in you because you confided in them.

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    And step two. Step two is when David tells the priests, you are the chief fathers of the Levites, sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of Yahweh, God of Israel, unto the place that I have prepared for it. So step two is to separate yourself from what's distracting you. This word sanctify in Hebrew is kadash. And that's the word holy. So what this is saying is holy yourselves. To be holy is to separate ourselves. So after we've sought guidance from a friend who can help us divide the word of truth, we need to separate ourselves from what's distracting us. We need to separate ourselves from the lusts, from the cares, from the distractions, and separate ourselves unto God. And that's a process.

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    That's not something that gets done in one day. Take a look with me, if you will, over in 1 Peter chapter 1. Take a look at this instruction and encouragement that Peter gives in 1 Peter chapter 1, going from verse 13 to verse 16. Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the form of lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy. Now again, I want to bring up the Young's literal translation, because I think it brings out a remarkable principle of holiness. Young's literal translation for verse 16 says, because it hath been written, become ye holy, holy, because I am holy. The God who we are trying to emulate is, was, and always will be holy. That is consistent frame of mind. God is holy. But we are not born holy, and we cannot hope to become holy, unless we realize that is a process that we have to undergo within our lives, by girding up the loins of our mind by being sober. We have to become holy. And if you don't separate yourselves from what's distracting you, it will continue to influence your decisions, and there will be no meaningful progress made if you're dedicating yourself to God. Now, step three. Step three is found back in 1 Chronicles 15, and we read this in verses 13 through 15.

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    And if you haven't done so already, you might want to stick a bookmark or something in 1 Chronicles 15 and 16. We're going to be flipping around a bit. But take a look at verses 13 through 15 of 1 Chronicles 15.

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    For because he did it not at the first, Yahweh our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after to do order. So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh God of Israel, and the children of the Levites bear the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of Yahweh.

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    So what is step three? Step three is to acknowledge our faults, and to do so humbly. You see, David here, he placed the blame for the death of a man, for the division between God and Israel. On the shoulders of the Levites, on the shoulders of the priests, of whom Zadok was named first of them.

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    But you don't see an argument here, do you? You don't see any attempts to justify, well, I was going to, but no. There isn't that. There's no rebuttal. There's no comebacks. There's no justification. They took his advice, and they went to work. Because godly friends, godly friends are going to point out uncomfortable truths.

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    In Proverbs 27, verse 6, it tells us, faithful are the wounds of a friend. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. They may hurt. It's not just like a faithful jab on the arm. It's not a faithful paper cut. It's a faithful wound. It's going to hurt. It's going to be painful. It's going to open up something uncomfortable.

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    But it's reliable to heal you for the better, rather than the false words of our enemies, which would sweeten us up and falsely tell us that we're doing right when we're not.

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    You see, pride and justification, these are instinctive behaviors to when we're confronted with our wrong. And the goal is not to justify ourselves, is it? No. When we're overcome by struggles, when we're overcome by temptations, the goal is not to justify our own behavior, but to justify God. And the Apostle Paul, in quoting Psalm 51, tells us exactly this over in Romans chapter 3.

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    And there is a bit of irony here, bringing this up, as David being the one to bring out their faults. Because it would be David, who would later write these very words, in the midst of his own struggle, and his own flaws, how to be confronted by his own friend, Nathan, the prophet.

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    In Romans chapter 3, verse 4, God forbid, yea, let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written, and here's the quote from Psalm 51, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. The goal of learning from our mistakes is not to justify our own behavior, but to justify God, that God's word might be proven blameless.

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    And that's what Paul says, let every man be a liar, if it justifies God. So we must acknowledge our faults humbly to recognize that principle, that we might be able to work towards rededicating ourselves.

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    Now, what does step four have to say? Step four is when we see the Levites finally gathering together with all Israel, back in 1 Chronicles 15. And we're going to take a look at verses 25 through 28.

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    And what does that have to say? So David and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, the house of Obed-Edom, with joy. And it came to pass when God helped the Levites that bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.

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    And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen. And all the Levites that bear the ark, and the singers, and the Kenaiah, the master of the song, with the singers, David also had upon him an ephod of linen. Thus, all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with shouting, and with the sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

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    Now, when we come together, we've got to come together with fellow believers to praise God. And this doesn't have to be done necessarily in a big setting. It can be done at home. It can be done at a gathering. But God does not want us to wallow in guilt. Wallowing in our wrongdoing is not the end result of being confronted with the wrong we've done in our lives.

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    He's looking for repentance. He's looking for change. And He's looking for praise for us having the gratitude at being able to do so, rather than being stuck in saying, well, that's it. I guess we're done for. That's not what God wants.

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    And God had this institution in place in the Feast of the Law, actually, over in Deuteronomy chapter 12. So again, keep your bookmarks in 1 Chronicles 15. We will be back, but in Deuteronomy chapter 12, we have something to be told to us here about the feasts.

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    We're going to look at verses 5 through 8 of Deuteronomy 12. And this is a contrast to worshiping in the high places. From verse 5, And there you shall eat before Yahweh your God. And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds, and of your flocks.

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    And there ye shall eat before Yahweh your God. And ye shall rejoice in all that put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein Yahweh thy God hath blessed thee. Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever it is right in thine own eyes.

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    For ye are not, as ye come to the rest, and to the inheritance, which Yahweh your God giveth you. Ye are not come there yet. But while we do, we meet together in a place where God has put his name.

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    These gatherings that we go to, study weekends, Bible schools, CYC, these can serve sometimes as our imitation of feasts. You know, we put it on our calendar, once a year, we go up, maybe it's to Indiana, or California, or Manitouan Island, but once a year. We have it marked on our calendars that this is where we will go up, and this is where we will gather with our brothers and sisters, and this is where we will offer our praise and our free will offering, the time that we have to thank God, to praise God.

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    And that's essential. It's essential for us as believers to be able to gather together, to recognize that we've all sinned, we've all fallen short of the glory of God. This process of rededication, this process of change within our own hearts and minds, is not a unique process. We don't go through it alone, but we're all going through it together, and we're all at different stages.

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    Some of us are at stage one, where we haven't even talked to somebody about it yet. And some of us are out there in the later stages, ready to help out those, to be that person that someone goes to in stage one, to seek out a friend. But we have to gather together, that we might be able to bear each other's burdens and there so fulfill the law of Christ.

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    And you know, the thing about a gathering, I don't know if you feel this about gatherings, but I can tell you how I feel. That's where we get to see our capacity for serving God with a perfect heart. Because when we don't have a distraction set before us, when we have holied ourselves, separated ourselves from the things that trouble us in our lives, and we get to see brothers and sisters doing the same, we get to see an ecclesia operating, you know, not quite, but better.

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    We get to see ourselves at a capacity that we don't normally hit otherwise. And it's something that can inspire us to greater heights. And it's with that where we hit step five. And step five comes for us in 1 Chronicles 16. In verses one and two. I'm going to read verses one and two together and we're going to tackle each part of this one section at a time here.

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    In 1 Chronicles 16, verse one and two, they finally bring the ark. They did things the right way. They praised God all the way, doing things in a proper order, not according to what was in their own hearts and in their own minds. But in verses one and two, here's what we read.

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    So they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh.

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    So what is step number five? Step number five is part of the burnt offering. It's to promise our complete service to God and the whole nothing back. And now this particular step here, it's the principles of the burnt offering show up here and we don't have the time to look at the whole burnt offering.

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    That's an entire class unto itself. We're not going there. But we will briefly, briefly look at what the burnt offering entails. It's a voluntary offering, first and foremost. You don't need to offer a burnt offering. You need to acknowledge sin and you need to acknowledge our trespasses. When we violate the rights of our brothers and we violate the holy things of God, we need to address that.

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    A sin offering and a trespass offering are certainly essential. A burnt offering is the next step. It's where God wants us to be. It's a voluntary offering. And there are three unique features of the burnt offering here.

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    We don't have the time to hit all three in depth, but if you would, let's take a look over at Leviticus chapter 1. Because while we're looking at Leviticus chapter 1, we can briefly touch upon the other two facets that we won't have the time to look at for the burnt offering.

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    But while you're turning up Leviticus chapter 1, we do know of the burnt offering in Leviticus 7 that the skin is removed from this offering and given to the priest. And in Leviticus chapter 1, verses 7 through 9, here's what we have to read about the burnt offering. The sons of Aaron, the priest, shall put fire upon the altar and lay the wood in order upon the fire.

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    And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head and the fat in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar. But his inwards and his legs shall he wash with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire of a sweet savor unto Yahweh.

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    So what is the principle we're looking at with the burnt offering? The entire offering is consumed by God. The whole thing is devoted to God. As opposed to other offerings where some parts were offered the best parts and other parts were eaten by the priest that was left over. in the burnt offering except for the flesh, except for the skin.

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    All is given to God. And all the people when they brought the ark to Jerusalem, they offered burnt offerings. They offered these burnt offerings because they wanted to dedicate themselves completely to God. And Zadok, I imagine, more than anybody wanted to do this. Bearing that weight of the mistake, of that error that he made and not speaking up, in rededicating themselves to God, he had this burnt offering which says, I'm not going to hold anything back.

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    I'm going to give you everything I have in my efforts to serve you. And when we stumble in life, when we ask for forgiveness, we have that chance to rededicate ourselves to God, to offer every bit of ourselves, even as the entire offering of the burnt offering was offered. except for the skin.

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    And except for the skin because God is not concerned with an external display of righteousness. He's concerned with true inward change. And that's why the insides, the legs, were washed with water. It wasn't just about being superficially perfect unto God, but about having an internal commitment as well. And that's what dedication to God means.

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    Dedication is not just making it an outward display, but an internal commitment, a change of heart to say, I've made mistakes. I haven't sought you properly. I can do better. Please help me. And this principle in particular shows up in Hebrews chapter 10. If you just want to turn over there very briefly with me.

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    In Hebrews chapter 10, verses 8 and 9. Here is the crux of the burnt offering. Above when he said, Sacrifices and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure there and wherein which are offered by the law. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.

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    That's the burnt offering. To come to do the will of God. It was never about the animals, was it? It was to manifest a greater principle that when we, when that animal was burnt on the offer, on the altar of sacrifice, that it was meant to represent the internal change that God really wanted.

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    To come to do his will. And Hebrews picks up on that. And now there is a second part of that in 1 Chronicles chapter 16 because after a burnt offering came what was called the peace offering. And this is where step number six comes into play. Because step number six is to express thankfulness to God and to recognize the fellowship that is on his terms, not on ours.

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    And so the peace offering here is what's really driving this point home, this principle home. And again, we don't have all the time to look into this. But there is one passage in Leviticus that I want us to turn to and that's in Leviticus chapter 22 in verse 23. Because the thing about a free, the peace offering, it was a free will offering.

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    It was not something that was done out of obligation. It was spontaneous worship. And that's what God is looking for. He's not looking for us to do it out of obligation, out of seeing that, okay, it's Sunday, let's go to meeting. That's not what he's looking for. He's looking for us on a Thursday afternoon when we're stressed with work to offer our sacrifices, our free will offering.

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    And that's what the peace offering is really all about. And in Leviticus 22 verse 23, here's what we have to read about that. Either a bullock or a lamb that hath anything superfluous or lacking in its parts that mayest thou offer for a free will offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

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    And what I want to touch on very briefly is these words for superfluous or lacking in parts because they're translated in somewhat different ways in other translations. And if you look at the Hebrew, we get a better sense of what's really being said here.

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    Superfluous, it means a deformed limb, like perhaps one limb is longer than the other, lacking in parts. It means a leg that is maimed. And the principle here is that with a free will offering, it's an offering of fellowship. It was an offering that both the priest took part of and the one offering the sacrifice took part of.

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    It is fellowship that God extends on His terms. Now it can't be morally defiled. It's not supposed to be blind or scurvy or scabbed. Those aren't the things that God's looking for. He's not looking for these imperfections that allude to moral imperfections. But when He says that something that's deformed or maimed, that's something that has a struggle with its walk.

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    When one limb is longer than the other, it's not going to have a perfect walk. But God will accept that as a free will offering because He knows that we are imperfect. And if you were to look further in the peace offering, you would see that there would be an offering of leavened bread along with this offering.

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    Because God recognizes that yes, we are sinful. Yes, we do have struggles with our walk. But fellowship is on His terms. And He extends it to us not because we are perfect, but because He is perfect and He looks on to us in kindness.

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    And this fellowship meal, this fellowship sacrifice, this is what Zadok and the Levites and the nation of Israel, they wanted to offer to God freely. They didn't do it because they had to. They did it because they wanted to. They wanted to say to God, we are willing to give you the best of our time.

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    We're willing to give it to you not just when you ordain it, but when we don't have to. And we realize it's not going to be perfect. And really for all of us, when is it? When are we always going to be on our A game when it comes to serving in the truth?

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    We know we're going to stumble. We know we're going to have imperfections, but not pertaining to our moral character, but to our walk in our weakness.

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    And in Hebrews 13, verses 15 to 16, you don't have to turn here, but in Hebrews 13, 15 to 16, here's what we have to say about the peace offerings in particular. It's allusion. By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, but to do good and to communicate not.

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    For with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. So what is our free will offering? The praise of our lips. The thankfulness that we express to God, not because we have to, but because He's done so much for us that we want to.

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    And that turns right into step number seven, which is when we see in 1 Chronicles 16 that David offered, in the King James Version, it says he offered him bread and a flagon of wine. Now you might have a translation which says a raisin cake, but the principle remains the same. This is a fellowship meal extended by the King unto all His people.

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    The next step is to reflect on Christ's sacrifice in fellowship with each other and in fellowship with Christ and with God. It's a time of self-examination, gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice for sin. And what are we told in 1 Corinthians 11? For as often as we eat this bread and we drink this cup, we do show the Lord's death until He come.

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    As often as we participate in that fellowship meal, we recognize the Lord's death and resurrection, not only in literal terms, but in figurative as well. That in trying to rededicate ourselves to God, we have to recognize that we must die to sin. We must become alive to God. And we do so by sharing in the fellowship meal, symbolic of His death and His resurrection, being reminded of our baptism when we died to sin and became alive to God.

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    And finally, we have step eight. Because all gatherings come to an end. Spiritual euphoria fades. That awesome point that you heard, that awesome discussion you had with a friend, these fade over time, unfortunately. Our memories fade. But what does not fade is spiritual discipline. And that's what we read in 1 Chronicles 16, verses 39 and 40.

77. 39:54

    Because Zadok had to make a decision. When he left that gathering, when he left that time of fellowship, that opportunity to rededicate himself, that time to praise God, he had a choice. And we all have a choice. When we leave this place, when we go to our homes, when we go to our ecclesias, our schools, our jobs, are we going to just forget that this happened and set ourselves on the same path?

78. 40:25

    Or are we going to make meaningful change and sharpen the sword? Because take a look at 1 Chronicles 16, verses 39 and 40, where it tells us, And Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests before the tabernacle of Yahweh in the high place that was at Gibeon to offer burnt offerings unto Yahweh upon the altar of the burnt offering continually, morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of Yahweh which he commanded Israel.

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    And that burnt offering, that alludes to something called the morning and the evening sacrifice. It was something the priests were to do that each evening and each morning they were to offer a burnt offering symbolic of the dedication of the entire nation of Israel, not just an individual level, but on an ecclesial level, the promise to dedicate ourselves.

80. 41:19

    And that's step number eight, to not reserve our dedication just for these spiritual events. We don't want to be Sunday Christadelphians. We don't want to be study weekend Christadelphians. We need to be Thursday afternoon when everything is bearing down on us and we're going to tear our heads out Christadelphians. That's the kind that we need to be.

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    The kind who has that spiritual discipline as we talked about in the last class to not break our rank, to have that discipline, to stand side by side with one another and say, we're not going to break this time. We fell last time. We slipped last time. But we're going to work together this time.

82. 41:55

    This time we will not fall. We will not despair. But we will rise and God will raise us up. And in Psalm 141, verse 2, you don't have to turn here again, but this is concerning something, a metaphor that the psalmist uses concerning incense and the evening sacrifice. In Psalm 141, verse 2, here's what it says.

83. 42:22

    Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense. And what did incense do? Incense rose up and became a sweet-smelling savor unto Yahweh and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. And if there's one thing to know, brothers and sisters, when it talks about the lifting up of hands, this isn't about having to lift up our hands every time we pray.

84. 42:49

    But lifting up our hands is a smaller symbol of the greater purpose of the mind. The hands symbolize the lifting up of our thinking. For example, when you see haughty eyes, it's not about the eyes being proud. It's about the mind being proud. But the eyes serve as a figure of that. And so lifting up our hands, it's not about lifting up our hands physically, but using that as a metaphor for lifting up our thinking.

85. 43:19

    And let the lifting up of our thinking be unto you as a rededication, as the evening sacrifice where we offer ourselves completely. In every idle moment when we have a chance to think about our ways or God's ways, let's think about God's ways. And let's lift up our thinking. And let it be to God as the burnt offering, the evening sacrifice.

86. 43:40

    And so, brothers and sisters, we've all slipped. We've all fallen short of the glory of God. And we all need to make the choice. Will we despair? Will we wallow in our guilt and make no meaningful change? Or will we rise? Will we let God to raise up our thinking, to elevate our thinking?

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    And to conclude, I'd like for all of you to turn with me over to Romans chapter 12, please. Because in the law, the shortcoming of the law was that sacrifices had to be offered continually. When an animal died and then you sinned again, that animal you killed last time wasn't good enough to cover this one again.

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    Another animal had to be slain. But thanks be to God and our Lord Jesus Christ because he laid down his life for us. And now as we're told in Romans chapter 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice. We no longer have to kill an animal every time that we stumble, every time that we fall.

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    because the Lord Jesus Christ is our living sacrifice, that he laid down his life, the only one to do so as a burnt offering, the only one through whom we can have fellowship with God, that we must present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

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    So brothers and sisters, when you ask yourselves, I've stumbled. Where do I start? Turn to the life of Zadok. Look at the struggle that he had to go through. The thoughts that he had in his mind for three months before he finally took the steps along with the whole nation of Israel to rededicate himself to God.

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    And by doing so, brothers and sisters, we too will not be conformed to this world, but we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind. And let's not save that for today, but let's do that today and every day, even until our Master returns.