Well, welcome brothers and sisters. You got a little longer to look at me at the beginning this morning. I hope that wasn't disruptive for you having to look at me. However, it's such a pleasure to be with you again, brothers and sisters. I continue to, at times, not seem to have a brain hook up with my mouth. And I'd like to make one correction, just on one word from last week. You know, in today's world, We have such a situation between men and women, men marrying men, women marrying women. And boy, did I make a mistake last week in speaking about Joseph and Mary. And again, I really don't understand the hookup between my brain and my mouth. I actually said, Joseph marries wife. Folks, of course, I don't agree with that kind of a position, but I actually said that, and I just want to correct that. That probably struck some of you as extremely strange, but just please forgive me. I'll try to do better today. Oh, God, help my mouth to hook up with my brain. And I do pray, folks, that you are praying for those of us who come before you with the word of God. We need those prayers that go up before the throne of God into the heart of Jesus Christ. And it's of a great help when you are supporting us in that way. Today, without me, part four. Without me, part four. Jesus Christ, the God-man, proclaimed this absolute truth as recorded in John 15, verses 5 and 6. And again, I'm reading from a literal translation. Christ says, I am the vine, you the branches. The one abiding in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without me, you are not able to do not even one thing. Now that is literally the way the text appears. Without me, you are not able to do not even one thing. If anyone abides not in me, he is thrown out like the branch and is dried up. And they gather them and throw them into the fire and burn. In our study thus far, over the last four weeks, we've learned that God the Son has had life in himself for all eternity. Along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, God the Son is life. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, that is life. This includes the natural life on earth and the eternal life meant for the elect angels and the elect from humanity. All humanity who have ever existed are included in the proclamation made in Acts 17 28 concerning natural life. For in him, the Lord Jesus Christ, for in him, we live and move and exist. And looking at that text, it also includes God, the father, but as always, we must remember that they are one. They're one. God the Son, God the Father, God the Holy Spirit. For in Him, we live, move, and exist. Christ is the source of natural life. We've also been reminded of the fact that the God-Man, as the Son, a pure spirit, before He was manifested in the flesh, created all things. and nothing that was created was created without him. In addition, all creation was made for the God-man. And we must not fail to report that all creation is held together by the risen Lord Jesus Christ. It's the way that it is, folks, today. We live, move, and exist in Christ Jesus. And he is holding all things together. There is an order in this universe, though you may believe everything is out of order, but indeed Christ is holding it all together for the purposes of God. Without the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, there would be no universe, no earth, no life. And if there is no natural life, there is no eternal life for humanity because no humans would exist. And of course, of course, without Jesus Christ, the God-man, there is no eternal life at all. Furthermore, This goes further. Without Christ, there is no God the Father. There is no Holy Spirit because they are one. We may not be able to understand that, folks, but that is the unadulterated truth. Next, in our messages, we have seen the overwhelming importance to God of bearing much fruit. God is glorified when we bear much fruit. Now the fruit we speak of here is a reference to the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which enables us to do good works, which are the result of the Spirit's fruit in us. That fruit? Love. joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. These graces, and that's what they are, enable us to fulfill what God had recorded by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2.10. I read from a literal translation here. for we are workmanship of him we are his workmanship having been created in Christ Jesus for good works which the God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them the spirit of God enabling us by the fruit of that spirit to do those good works. And please don't think we're all prone maybe to do this. Please don't think you can fool the Lord Jesus by doing good works on your own and not of the spirit of Christ. Christ Christ said this in Matthew 1233 for by the fruit the tree is known 2nd Timothy 219 gives confirmation of that statement. The Lord knows who are his so brothers and sisters. He knows if the fruit you bear. is of His Spirit. You can't fool the Lord God. So likewise, if there is no Jesus Christ, there is no vine. If there's no vine, there is no fruit of holiness. Now in our last message, the Holy Scriptures, and that's what we have to look to, folks, proved conclusively that without the God-man Jesus Christ, there would be no Israel of God, which means there would be no church, no household of God, no body of Christ. We went on in that message to also find out, beyond doubt, that God's written word clearly shows us that without Jesus Christ, there would be no Passover lamb to provide protection from the wrath of God, from the destroyer, as we talked about. And then we close by looking at the law given to Moses. And that law was given to Moses by Christ, the lawgiver. which identifies sin against God and pronounces everyone guilty with no provision for mercy. How important is that to you and I? A law that without Christ makes no provision for mercy. And the Bible clearly testifies from the mouth of God that every point of the law must be fulfilled, or the law would just keep going on, condemning with no mercy. Jesus Christ, the God-man, lived a perfectly sinless life, fulfilling that law, keeping all points of the law in word, thought, and deed. And folks, that's required of you and I if we were left to ourselves. have to fulfill all points of the law in word, in thought, and in deed. You can see, folks, that no human being comes even close to beginning to do such a thing. Without Christ's righteousness, there is no one qualified and acceptable to God to stand in our place on our behalf when it comes to the law, the law. Today, as we've been doing for the last four weeks, we're going to search the scriptures and consider what would be the condition of humanity if there were no altar and no sacrifice. Next time, you know this time I thought I might close out this whole series, but next time we will finish these points that we've been making, these things that were in order as I gave them to you, and we're going to look at the priesthood and ransom. But today we're going to deal with the altar and sacrifice. What if there was no altar and no sacrifice? Now I know, to the vast majority of people on this earth today, these things mean absolutely nothing. The altar and sacrifice. All these things I've been speaking about. They don't mean anything to the vast majority of people today. They have no interest in any of these things we've been studying. And by these things, I mean things that have to do with their eternal destiny. These very people that have no interest in it. This is going to determine their eternal destiny. And they probably have no interest in their eternal destiny because they don't believe in something as foolish as an eternal destiny. Especially their own eternal destiny. And that's a sad, sad reality, but it is the reality in this world today. You know, it's interesting, isn't it, that in the so-called church, the visible church today, when we talk about predestination and election, the vast, vast majority of people going to church reject that. That's their eternal destiny. It rests in election and predestination. And they have nothing to do with it. As I've told you before, I'm not going to mention the name of one of these TV preachers. He calls this doctrine of predestination and election the doctrine of demons. And that, folks, is a sad commentary on where this world is today. But it's true nonetheless. And again, unless you are born anew from above, you cannot see with your mind's eye, nor perceive, nor understand in your heart and your mind the things of God. That again is a reality. Today, we want to now move forward with the altar. I cannot tell you, I cannot overstate how important this is for us today. I pray that by the Spirit of God, He will apply this to your heart and cause you to listen very, very closely. After God the Son, the lawgiver, gave the law based into 10 commandments, He continued laying down more law to be fulfilled so that the purpose of God would be accomplished. We're going to talk more about that and specifically tell you about the purpose of God here. And it's at this point that I need to mention something that I should have made more clear in the beginning and some of you folks who read the Bible quite a bit have probably already noticed it. I said the topics that I was presenting were being presented in the order that they are seen in the scripture. Now, obviously, when it comes to the altar, the altar had been mentioned earlier in the book of Genesis many, many times, often in the book of Genesis. And of great importance in that book was the altar Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac on before God stopped him. Now, I need to explain this for us. I hope you'll understand me. The order I am referring to in those appearing in the scriptures, the order that I'm referring to is in the context of the Israel of God and the law. And folks, that didn't happen till after the book of Genesis. So again, that is my reference point there. The reference point is to the Israel of God and the law of God. That's why I have those things in that order. And that is the order that once we learn of the Israel of God and the law of God, this is the order those things appear in. I hope that makes some sense to you. Now, you've already seen as well that there is some overlap when we talk about these topics each week. especially when it comes to blood sacrifice because we've already discussed that to some degree. There is some overlap there and there's really nothing we can do about that and I feel sure that God is leading us and it's not causing confusion. Now the order given Again, and I've mentioned the purpose of God, the order given is for you and I to be able to better understand God's purpose to save and preserve a people and to create them anew spiritually in the image of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Folks, that is the preeminent purpose for the Bible. that God is having a people for himself taken from among sinners, that he will create them anew spiritually in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, God set out to do that from the beginning, the very beginning. when he created Adam and that went astray. God is going to complete that purpose. He's going to have a people created in his image, in the image of Jesus Christ. That being true, the importance of the altar cannot be overstated when it comes to the salvation of God's elect people. So please be listening. I want to give you the essence of the altar. The essence of the altar people is what makes the altar the altar. That's the essence of the altar. What makes the altar the altar? Now, I'm going to be reading a narrative. Do not try to follow. I'm going to give you the chapters because it's coming from three chapters. You can go back and read these chapters in their full context if you need to, but right now I need you to listen to me as we read from the book of Genesis. And Tara from verse, excuse me, from chapter 11, we're going to go 11, 12, 13 in the book of Genesis. And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife. And they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran. Abram's father dies. The leader of that particular group dies. The elder Tira dies. Now the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Folks, God, and I'm of the belief that this is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ spoke to Abram saying these things. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. So they came to the land of Canaan. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your descendants I will give this land. Now listen. And there he built an altar to the Lord. who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel and pitched his tent, Bethel on the west and I on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. He built an altar and called on the name of the Lord. And he went on his journey from the south as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and I to the place of the altar, which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. He built an altar and called on the name of the Lord. Now this Folks, it's not hard to see, even common sense might say this to us, the altar was the place to meet with God. The altar was the place to meet with God. And when we say place now, folks, we're not talking about the location of the altar, but the altar itself. It's the altar where we meet with God. And doesn't matter where that altar is, folks. It's the altar. It was the place that was not only holy, but most holy. Are you with me? Exodus 29, 37. And I read from a literal translation here. The altar was not only holy, but most holy. Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar. and sanctify it. God, excuse me, and the altar shall be most holy. Not just holy, most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy. You got it now? The altar, most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy. The Lord Jesus Christ, with authority from God, proclaimed the holiness of the altar to the religionists of his day. Now, I'm going to be reading from the New King James Version here, Matthew chapter 23, verses 15, 16, and 19. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. I was just thinking about that. You know, Jesus Christ was gentle. He was meek. He was gentle. But folks, he wasn't weak. He says to these religionists of his day, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Woe to you, blind guides, fools, and blind. For which is greater the gift Or the altar that sanctifies the gift. Please remember this now. This is going to mean everything when we get further into this message. The altar that sanctifies the gift. The gift is whatever's put on that altar. The altar sanctifies that gift. Now, what have we seen so far? The presence of God is at the altar. The altar is most holy. Whatever is placed on the altar is set apart for God, therefore holy. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, the God-man, God with us. And the apostle Peter left this record concerning Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2, 22. He committed, he did no sin. This is the God-man, Jesus Christ, a human being, he committed, he did no sin. Paul, the apostle, puts it this way, 2 Corinthians 5, 21. Christ was the one having not known any sin, or not known sin, not any, but the one having not known sin. He was separate from sin, folks, in word, thought, and deed. Nobody like the Lord Jesus Christ never even thought, had a thought of sin. From birth, this God-man was absolutely holy. The angel Gabriel said this to Mary before she bore the God-man. Luke 1, 35. And again, from the New King James Version. That holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God. This is who he is. This is Christ Jesus. the man, absolutely holy. In Daniel 9.24, please bank this one in your minds as well, folks, please. In Daniel 9.24, that verse ends with three words, the most holy. You can look that up. Daniel 9.24, it ends with those words, the most holy. Those words, and you can read it in the context and you'll see this is true, those words are a reference to the Messiah. And we know the Messiah is Jesus Christ, the God-man. Now, as the altar was most holy, so was Jesus Christ in his divinity, the God-man, most holy in his divinity. The altar upon which the humanity of Jesus Christ was set apart was his own divinity. His perfect, spotless humanity, remember, whatever touches the altar must be holy. Remember that? His perfect, spotless humanity was sanctified by that divinity. that altar that he was set upon in perfect completion of his law. Every jot, every tittle. Don't forget, the altar is that which is, the altar is that which sanctifies that which is placed on it. Christ's divinity set apart his perfect humanity for God to accept it. It's the only way God would accept it, okay? I mean, this is overwhelmingly true, very difficult to understand, but again, it makes all the sense in the world. It follows perfectly with the scripture and a fulfillment of the scripture. So perfect, was that sacrifice on that altar that God the Father was fully satisfied with the sin offering of Jesus Christ's humanity upon the altar of Christ's divinity. There is no altar without the God-man, Jesus Christ. Now there it does get when we think about the God-man placing his humanity upon his divinity. We may not understand that, we may not comprehend that, but it is the truth. It is the truth. And of course, in perfect alignment with that is Christ's humanity upon that altar. The blood of his perfect humanity was the only sacrifice that God would accept. Because God requires perfect holiness. Perfect holiness. Who among humanity can claim that? I've been perfectly holy. Therefore, I'm acceptable to God. You know, if you could keep every single point of the law, word, thought, and deed, you don't need to be saved. You're good to go. Well, folks, there's only one that that can be set up. That was the Lord Jesus Christ. And yes, The God-man was required, required by the law, by God the Father, to shed all his human life's blood. It's the blood that makes atonement for the sins because he was the only human being ever who was spotless as to sin. the perfect Lamb of God, the only sacrifice acceptable to God. When we, as Christians, observe the Lord's Supper, think about this now. We are partaking, spiritually speaking, we are partaking of the altar. in remembrance of the sacrifice of the God man's humanity. It's going to be proven as we read about this and the shedding of his blood. Now the scripture for that is in three chapters in first Corinthians. Please just listen. You can go back and read all these chapters and I would say do it. chapters 9 10 and 11 of 1st Corinthians. I'm going to take from those to give you this scenario. Do you not know that those who minister the Holy things eat of the temple and those who serve at the altar partake of the altar? Now, what is he talking about there? He's talking about whatever was offered on that altar is partaken of. Observe Israel after the flesh are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar. What am I saying then that an idol is anything or that or what is offered to idols is anything rather? that the things with the Gentiles, which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord. Now here he's making a reference to the Lord's Supper and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the Lord's table. and of the table of demons. So see, we're being set up here to understand better what is being said when it gets to the Lord's Supper. And the fact that you and I are partakers of the altar. But I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you. That the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was portrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you. Folks, that is what was sacrificed on the altar. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same manner, also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes. You proclaim his sacrifice till he comes. You've partaken of that altar. and that which was sacrificed upon it. You've partaken of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, you've partaken of that sacrifice which was offered upon that altar. Now that's spiritually speaking, folks, not talking about cannibalism here. It's a spiritual reference that we might remember the Lord Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. It's simple, isn't it? Without the God-man, Jesus Christ, there is no altar to partake of. Without Jesus Christ, there is no sacrifice acceptable to God for the payment due concerning sin. No blood to take away any sin. Nobody, no blood, to remember without Christ. Remember Christ said, without me, without me. We need to give that great, great, great thought. Next time, the priesthood and the ransom. I pray that you will attend under that message. And I pray that this message was a blessing for all of us. Amen. Many times I'd heard the story I'd often heard his name But I sought for this world's glory Like a moth drawn to a flame But God reached down in mercy And touched this heart of mine Now I stand amazed at a cross I gaze That's bathed in a light divine My eyes have seen the glory of love and grace so free. It's shining from the face of the one who gave himself ♪ God holds no more beauty ♪ ♪ I've eyes for only one ♪ ♪ For I behold what thrills my soul ♪ ♪ In Jesus Christ, God's Son ♪ As I travel down life's highway The world is ever near For its siren song drifts my way and falls upon my ear. But a sweeter voice is calling from him who reigns above. As I look on his face I find daily grace to work, My eyes have seen the glory of love and grace so free. It's shining from the face of one who gave himself for me. Now the world has no more beauty. In Jesus Christ, God's Son.