Turn with me again to Ezra chapter 3. Ezra, while you're turning there, I am very happy to say that I've just received a phone call just a moment ago, just before the services started, and Glenda said the doctor is going to release her today and let her go home. So I'm very thankful for that, and I'm thankful for your prayers calls and thoughts. She's on the mend, so I've just got to go home and clean up the house. Ezra chapter 3. I'd like to actually look at verses 5 to 8 And before I actually get into those verses, we remember that obediently, all who were raised by the Spirit of the Lord who had been given a heart to leave Babylon. Remember, the children of Israel were in Babylon 70 years that they were there They were given by the king, by Cyrus, they were given an order, a word that they could go back to Jerusalem for the rebuilding of the temple. And the Scripture says that they kept the Feast of Tabernacles and they offered by number the daily burnt offerings according to the custom. And as we looked last time, we realized that this was a reminder of that which the Lord had done for them in the Feast of the Tabernacles, the remembrance. I brought you out of this city of captivity, out of Egypt and set forth the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the Scripture says, back in the fourth verse that we looked at last time, it says when they kept the Feast of the Tabernacles as it was written, and they offered the daily burnt offerings by number. You remember we looked at the decreasing number according to the custom. And then it says in that last part of the fourth verse, it says, as the duty of every day required. And that's what I'd title this. If I was going to title this, I'd say, The Duty of Every Day. They did this according to the custom as the duty of every day required. Now, it says in verse 5, afterward they offered the continual burnt offering. It was required that they would have a burnt offering, morning and evening, every day. That was the law of the Lord. Truly, here was a picture of the everlasting satisfaction of the Father with the obedient sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was required. Now turn back with me to Exodus chapter 29. I want to show you What God required, what God demanded, Exodus 29, verse 38. Let's look at that. The Lord said in Exodus 29, 38, Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar, two lambs of the first year, day by day, continually. Look down in verse 42. He says, This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. Now that tabernacle of the congregation, just so you'll remember, there was an outer court surrounded, large outer court. Within that court, that large outer court, there was the tabernacle. And it was divided into two sections. The front section was called the tabernacle of the congregation. That doesn't mean everybody in Israel. Not that. But the congregation of the priest is what it was. The different priests could go in that outer tabernacle. But then there was the inner tabernacle of holiness. There was a holy place where the show bread and the candlestick. congregations or the congregation of the priest. But only the high priest could go in that holy place, the holy of holies. And so the door of that tabernacle of the congregation was actually that outside section of that holy place where He says that, verse 30, there will be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord where I will meet you speak there unto you." Now, this burnt offering was first mentioned. The Lord was very specific. And I know we've been looking at these offerings, and it's well for us to look exactly what was He saying. You know, we're all like this. We read something, just kind of skimmed over it real fast, and we didn't. We didn't look, but the way in which the Lord set forth exactly how these things were to be done, that the burnt offering was first mentioned. And we won't turn there, but I'll just tell you, you'll recognize the passage. It was first mentioned in Genesis 22, where Abraham was told by the Lord, you take Isaac, you take your son, your only son, the one the Lord gave him. and you take Him up on this mountain and you offer Him there to me," he said, for a burnt offering. Now, here we see in this burnt offering, I mean, the pictures in that, I mean, you see substitution, you see the obedience of Abraham to offer. I mean, there's so much in that. But the one thing when he said, you offer Him there for a burnt offering, you remember, that the burnt offering was the offering that set forth the willingness of the Lord Jesus Christ to lay down His life as the substitute before the Father for all of the sheep. The willingness. And it was a sweet savor, the burnt offering. Sweet savor. Here we see the willingness, listen, of Isaac to conform to his Father's will Isaac said, ìHereís the wood, hereís the fire, whereís the lamb?î And you remember Abraham said, ìMy son God will provide himself a lamb.î And we see when that time came that Isaac, no mention of struggle, no mention of rebellion, he himself was placed upon that altar. We see as a burnt offering. the willingness of Isaac to conform to Abraham's word and demands. That's what Abraham said. He said, My son, you're the sacrifice. And Isaac laid the picture of the Lord. But then you know, you see substitution there. So there's no type, there's no picture that's perfect. Only the Lord Jesus Christ. But these types, they set forth. And the central thought of this offering is the devotedness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word actually means the going up or the ascending offering. So, they were told, this is the duty that the day requires, the burnt offering. Here, God would continually, it was a continual, Day in, day out, every day, every day, don't stop, never stop, continual. The Lord would keep a continual reminder of the devotedness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb, the devoted Lamb, the gentle Lamb. He laid down His life. No man takes My life from Me. They didn't take Him and bring Him to the cross kicking and screaming. He said, I laid down My life for the sheep in obedience. He did always only those things that pleased the Father. Hebrews 13, 15 says, By Him, that is, by the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise, of thanksgiving continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto His name. So it was required, the day required, there's a continual burnt offering. My Son will continually be set forth as the obedient Son. You will never have a day that you don't remember that. That's what we do. We set forth the devotedness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then back in Ezra chapter 3, it says, of every day required. And afterward they offered the continual burnt offering both of the new moons and of the set priests of the Lord that were consecrated." They offered an offering of the new moons. It's the duty of every day to remember that this life is but a vapor. The setting forth of these feasts of the new moons. every time they offered a burnt offering of the new moons, the Lord God Himself in type was saying, today is the day of salvation. Harden not your heart. Behold now a new moon. That which is past is gone. It is over. This life is fleeting. This is not going to continue. There was a new moon. Solomon in Ecclesiastes 7, 14-15 says, In the day of prosperity, be joyful. But in the day of adversity, you consider that God also hath set, or made, the one against the other. Whatever this day holds, whatever happens, this is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice. Be glad in it. He says, To the end that man should find nothing after Him. All things. Solomon says, Have I seen in the days of my vanity there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness? There is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. Solomon says, I see where the righteous suffer and their life is cut off. And he says, I see the wicked, and it looks like they just go on and on and on. It's the day that the Lord... It's the day of the new moon. It's the day that is fleeting. may bring prosperity, rejoice. You got up this morning and you got a mind to think. You had a mind that you could cook something, eat something, you could say something to somebody, you'd be thankful. This day, this day of fleetingness, nothingness, a day may bring adversity. And you consider then that the Lord has made this day to remind me of the presence of sin, the fountain of every bitter stream of rebellion against Him. You consider that in the day of merciful adversity, I need Him. In spite of myself, Psalm 50, verse 15 says, Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and thou shalt glorify Me. It was required, the duty of the day was required that they have an offering, the of the new moons for the believer. Some he delivers temporarily in this life in adversity. Some he sees fit to give them a few more days. He delivers temporarily. Some he delivers everlastingly out of this life, but all to his glory. whatever the Lord has seen fit to send forth for this day. Be thankful. But of all of the things that can be said of our duty, and I do know that we have a duty, we dutifully remember that today is the day that the Lord has made. They all pale in mere shadows of the duty that His day required. There was a day appointed for Him to die. He was the Passover. Scripture says that Mary at Lazarus' house anointed His feet and wiped with her hair against the day of His burial. His day required. The third day after His crucifixion, He was to arise. There's a day in which judgment's coming. There's a day that's called the Lord's Day. We're here today in remembrance of His resurrection. This is the day. in praise to Him who is the day Himself, the day star. It is our duty. We remember that you may not live till tomorrow. Someone in this congregation right here this morning is closer to seeing eternity, beholding eternity than anybody else. Somebody in here, unless the Lord returns today and His people are brought out of this world, Somebody's going to die or somebody else. I don't know who it is. But today is the day of salvation. You may not live till tomorrow. We know not what a day may bring forth. This may be the last message that I ever preach. I may have a heart attack before this message is over. You don't know. We're just so frivolous when we consider... The Scripture says as the duty of every day requires, remember, every day shall have its own providential engagement. Sufficient, the Scripture says, unto the day is the evil thereof. As Christ did always only those things that pleased the Father, the Scripture says, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. The duty of every day. And then it says, both of the new moons All the set feasts, those feasts that were set certain times by the Lord Himself that were consecrated, and everyone that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord. Now, this offering, it was called a freewill offering. Freewill. Everyone that offered a freewill. Now, turn back with me, and I read that, and I thought, I want to know, what is that talking about? You know, you read it here again. I'm like you. I read something and I think, OK, I've heard that. I've heard free will offering. What is it? Turn with me to Exodus, not Exodus, Leviticus. Leviticus chapter 22. Leviticus 22. Starting in, let's look at verse 18. unto Aaron and to his sons, unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the stranger of Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering, ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish of the beads of the sheep or of the goats. But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer, for it shall not be acceptable for you." All right. When it came to this freewill offering, the first thing that we realized, and the law demanded the giving of the tithes. This was not that. This was something that was given other than that. It was actually a spontaneous. I looked up the word free will offering there, and that's one word, free will offering. It means spontaneous or voluntary. You say, well, that makes sense. But here was the rules or the law concerning the free will offering. Number one, it was expected by the Lord. It wasn't according to the law. It was a free will offering. The Lord said, you speak unto Aaron and to his sons and to all the children, and say unto them, whatsoever he be of the house, the strangers, that will offer his oblation for all his vows. It was a gift that was given. The saints of God, being saved by grace, express their new hearts spontaneously. That's just the way it is. It's not a rule. You don't set forth a rule to somebody and say, OK, now I'm going to tell you something. You're going to be gracious. I mean it. That's like a man taking the Word of God and telling a man, now this is the law. This is the way it is. Husbands, love your wife. And I mean it. Somebody called me the other day, not from this church, from another church. and was telling me that the problem was, this was their problem. He said, I'll tell you what, I've got a problem. My wife is not submitting herself to me. And I told her, I told you to submit. I said, well, let me tell you something. I said, I already hear the problem. I said, the Scripture says, Husbands, you love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. I said, a man that loves his wife. I said, respects her, looks out for her, treats her first, takes her side against all others. I said, does for her, loves her. I said, that woman will submit or adapt herself. That's what it means. Adapt yourself. I said, the responsibility, I said, falls, I said, on men. Ninety-nine percent. Somebody said, I don't know about those numbers. I said, well, I think the vast majority of all the problems are the men's fault. They love their wives. Respect them. Treat them with respect. I said, you don't have that problem. I said, so maybe we ought to back up just a little bit. It says, the saints are not set by law. to be gracious. 2 Corinthians 9, 7, Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. Not that the Lord loves a man because he's a cheerful giver. No, here's the evidence. The evidence that God has set His affection and love on a man is that that man freely gives. And I'm not talking about just money, but I do talk about money. I'm talking about attitude and graciousness, time and consistency. Gracious, gracious. Secondly, not only was these freewill offerings set forth that God says they will be, but secondly, these freewill offerings must be laid, the Scripture says in Leviticus 22, on the altar. Being a burnt, And that's what they were, the freewill offerings were a burnt offering, willing, willing. They were put on the brazen altar outside the holy place. Now you know that this altar speaks of the cross of our Lord Jesus by which our offerings are made acceptable unto God. No offering is pleasing to the Father apart from the work. of the Lord Jesus Christ. So therefore, when these freewill offerings..." It was an offering that was given. Whatever was given. That lamb, that offering. It was given freely. Thirdly, it says, he said, "...speak unto Aaron and to his sons and to all the children of Israel." Here's the third thing about a freewill offering. A man had to be numbered with the people of God before a freewill offering was accepted. He said, well, what does that mean? I mean this. Number one, no one has a free will as far as anything toward Almighty God until by redeeming grace, he comes to Christ by the power of the Spirit of God. Before sin has dominion over that whole nature, and it doesn't matter what it is, you start with thoughts, thoughts of thanksgiving, time, money, worship, all of that of the ungodly, no matter what it's done or what it appears to be, it cannot be said to be laid upon the altar by faith. There's nothing concerning freewill offerings toward men, to be seen of men. The Pharisees did much. They appeared to be much. They'd stand on the corner. And they would give these great shows of affection. They would show up and all of their prayers that they would take and roll up and stick inside and all of their phylacteries and all of their robes. They looked so good. My, what holy people! There is nothing that is accepted before Almighty God apart from the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the altar Himself. It says it must be made willingly, verse 19. That's what it says. You shall offer at your own will a male without blemish. Something cannot be a freewill gift unless it's given willingly. When the Father sent the Son, He did so willingly. When the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life, He did so willingly. When the Spirit of God effectually calls out God's elect, He does so willingly. It wasn't grudgingly. You think about what Almighty God did. At no point do you ever detect anything grudgingly done on the part of Almighty God. Nothing is ever appreciated done grudgingly. I'd rather not. Would you like to go over here? Anything that someone does begrudgingly, it's not appreciated. Believe me, it's not done out of love. It's not accepted. It's just done willingly. Let me do that. Let me do that for a while. I love you. I want to. Why do you do what you do for your husband and wife? Why? Because I love you. It's willing. I do it out of a heart because I'm thankful. I'm thankful for what you've done. Thank you. That's a nice meal. I appreciate that. Oh, that's so kind of you. You know I like that. That's so sweet. I just appreciate it. Whatever, Colossians 3.23, whatever you do, do it heartily, out of a heart, as to the Lord. Not unto men, as to the Lord. And then fifthly, this freewill offering, the Scripture says, it must be without blemish. But whatsoever verse 20 hath a blemish, that shall not be offered, for it shall not be acceptable for you. Verse 22 says, blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a win, or scurvy, scabbed, you shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them unto the altar unto the Lord. You know, many think, all think, let's just go ahead and just sum it up. We all think like this. That we can, and there's not a person in this room, starting especially in this pulpit, that is without guilt. We're all guilty. But we think that we can offer unto God that which men would never be satisfied with. Scraps. Culls. spare moments, bad attitude. Oh, how this reveals the small place that the Lord has within our heart, and you know it so. We are guilty, guilty, free will. I mean, just out of our heart, just, you know. The Scripture says, Thy people shall be willing. There is a willingness to give unto Him that which is due. And there's a war within that strives against us and says, I will not be honorable. I won't be honorable. I will be dishonorable. I'm going to rebel against God. This is the right thing to do, and I'm not going to do it. That's just the way it is. The Lord says, if you bring something to me that's blind or broken or maimed or something like that, what gift would be appreciated? Somebody's going to give you something right here. I got you this old dress right here. Wore out. Wrapped it up. Pretty. It's a gift. Or it's stained. Got a lot of ketchup on it and stuff like that. But, you know, I'm just giving. I just want you to have it. You look at it and say, I don't want it. Free will. God's people, they're free-hearted people. A believer does not give. in order to get. I hear these folks on television and they say, you give unto the Lord and He will give back to you. Well, I'll tell you this. Believe me when I tell you that the proportion of blessing from Almighty God is in direct proportion to a man's generosity in his heart and willingness. That's so. God's promised that. But a believer does not give in order to get. He gives because he's gotten. It's what he's done for me. In verses 6 and 7, back in Ezra, I'll hurry, it's about time. Worship was truly established in the case of these people. Verse 6 and 7 says, From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. the foundation of the temple of the Lord. Now here we observe the divinely ordered means concerning worship. Number one, the Scripture says there was an altar. There was an altar there, but the foundation of the temple was not yet laid. It wasn't built. The Lord was honored and worshiped. only on the merit of the sacrifice and the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no question concerning how God is going to be worshipped. There was an altar. The Lord will be approached only in a sacrifice. The Lord will be approached only in our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. Man may connive and think that he can approach God in some way, but the altar the sacrifice, the shed blood. That was the only way in which God was going to be approached. There was an altar. They worshiped no other way but Him. No other access but by the Son. I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father without an altar. We have nothing without Him. We're hopelessly lost. But the temple was not yet built. It was not rebuilt. It showed here. the saints' journey, and I'll show you this. It showed with that temple not yet being completely there. The altar was there, worship was there, but the temple was not yet built. The foundations, the building up of it, it shows the pilgrimage of the saints in this world that would be evidenced by their struggles. The altar was there, but the temple, the foundations of the temple, was not yet there. The man, King David, loved by God, the Scripture says, chosen and blessed by Him, he went through this life with the sword always within his family. You know the story of King David. Paul the Apostle, Scripture says, here's a man that wrote a major portion of the New Testament Scriptures. Scripture says that he was caught up to the third heaven and received an abundance of revelations that was taught him. But that man was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet him. Why? Lest he should be exalted above measure because of the revelations. Let me tell you something. In ourselves, we are not worth anything. We are worthless. an unbeliever, one outside of Christ. I will tell you, a slug that crawls along the concrete and leaves that slimy trail behind him is more obedient and serves his purpose in this world, in this creation. That slug is serving Almighty God exactly where God put him to be, doing exactly what God called him to be. An unbeliever, one outside of Christ, is not doing it. Rebellious. That's all he is. Outside of Him. Paul said, because of the abundance of the revelations it was given me, lest I should be exalted above measure. Lest I should know something. Lest I think I've looked into these Scriptures and found something. Some knowledge. Lest I should be exalted above measure. God gave him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him, to keep and remind him, without me, you're nothing. Nothing. This temple was not yet built. The altar was there. The incompleteness of our eternal joy is set forth in wise design when that temple was not yet built. God was teaching of something. This life, the irregular changes that we see in this life, are divinely ordered by Almighty God. Nothing takes God by surprise. He orders the steps, but this world is not our rest. In the foundation of that temple, not yet laid, we behold the glorious work of the Lord Jesus Christ in the confirming of His people. Let me show you what I'm talking about. In 1 Corinthians 6, verse 19, it says, What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? To the people of God, the believers. Your body. You're the temple, the Scripture says, of the Holy Ghost. Now, turn over to 1 Peter 2. And I'll try to wrap this up, but I want to make, Lord willing, some sense out of what I'm trying to set forth here. 1 Peter 2, verse 1 through 5. Verse Peter 2, Wherefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes Desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby. If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming? Now I want you to notice. You see where it says as newborn babes, that ye may grow thereby? Look at verse 4. To whom coming? Believers are coming. They're coming. They've come and they're coming. They continue to come. He says, but to whom coming, verse 4, as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, ye also as lively stones are built up, or that is being built up, a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. The foundation of our hope is shown in the sacrifice that's on the altar. The altar was there. But this temple is being built. Our hope is in Christ, without a doubt. We are in Him, complete in Him. This is a great paradox here. Here we are fully established in the Lord Jesus Christ, no doubt about it. We're in Him, by Him, for Him, through Him. In Him, you're complete. Christ is all in all, complete. And we're being built up in this life, growing in grace. The Lord in His infinite wisdom and mercy is doing that within His people that they could never do for themselves. Here we are, living stones being built up, a spiritual house in being built. The Scripture says there is a laying aside of all malice, or that is, trouble, guile, or craftiness, hypocrisies, which is deceit, and envies, which is ill will, and evil speakings, which is backbiting, which was dominant in our unregenerate state. We're being built. We're being taught. Hopefully, as the Lord grows us in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, we've learned some things. Hopefully we learn from the instruction of the Word. This Word is profitable for instruction, for reproof, for rebuke. There are holy desires after Christ, he says, as babes growing in grace in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, hungering and thirsting after Him, longing for more of Him. There are desires that are exhibited in a continual action He says, To whom coming? There are some here that have believed by God's determinate will and decree before others did. There are some that have been sitting and hearing unto the Word of God for years and years and years. And to the youngest believer, to the older believer, they are coming. They are always coming. They continually come. They wake up every day by God's grace coming. To whom coming? always coming, continually under a consciousness of need of Him. John 1.16 says we receive grace for grace. It is by the grace of God that God has kept us by His grace. We receive grace for grace. That is to say, it requires God's grace for us to perceive in grace. We are kept by the power of God. What a privilege it is when the Spirit of God makes a sinner know his poverty and his need of the Lord Jesus. We are lively stones being built upon the living stone of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the rock of ages, the eternal God, our life. From Him, the Scripture says, because I live, you shall also live. We are being fashioned, predestinated, Romans 8.29 says, to be conformed to the image of the Son. And this is a thought. of divine revelation to be approached with reverence and respect. I mean, even right now as we sit and just the words that we read, the altar was there, but the temple, the foundation of the temple, it was being built. How we ought to think upon that with godly fear and respect. Turn with me to Ephesians 2, and then I'm going to stop. Ephesians 2. Let me just show you this and one other scripture as a confirmation. Ephesians 2, verse 19 to 22. Paul says to the church at Ephesus, Now therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." We are being built together, the Scripture says, we just read, as a habitation of God, If we were to realize the implication of that thought being built, fashioned, how we would look more to Him and the means of His instruction. Lord, teach me. Instruct me. Lord, reveal to me. Show me myself. Lord, as You are building, You have graciously called me to be Your own. Lord, You love me with an everlasting love. You didn't leave me to myself to just go through this life ignorantly in rebellion. It is Christ, our great Joshua from chapter 2, by the Spirit of God which carries on this continual work in the building of His temple, elected us, redeemed us, regenerated us, taught us, kept us, till we shall finally receive from Him, His presence. The altar was there, the temple was being built, and the duty of every day was the setting forth of the remembrance of Christ. I were burnt off day and night, night and day, on and on. Free will, free will offerings, giving unto Him continually praise and thanksgiving. Thanks be unto God that Almighty God has established Christ, our altar, as He builds us, His people, unto Himself in habitation of the Spirit of God.