Crystallization-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther
Message Three
The Rebuilding of the Altar of God—the Altar of Burnt Offering
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Ezra 3:2…They built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
Rom. 12:1 I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
Word of Appetizer
Why is the first offering that is mentioned in Leviticus is not the sin offering or the trespass offering but the burnt offering?
We need Christ first as our burnt offering because our first situation before God, our first problem related to God, is not a matter of trespasses but of not being for God; God created us that we might be for Him; He did not create us for ourselves, but as fallen human beings, we live for ourselves, not for Him.
The burnt offering means that as those who were created by God for the purpose of expressing and representing Him, we should be for nothing other than God；we need to realize that we are not absolutely for God and that of ourselves we cannot be absolute; therefore, we need to take Christ as our
burnt offering.
Spiritual Burden
For the recovery of the house we need the recovery of the altar; the first thing to be recovered for the church life is the altar; we must put all that we have, all that we are, and all that we can do on the altar for God’s satisfaction; this is the start of the church life.
To live a life of the continual burnt offering is to be a living sacrifice. The burnt offering is a type of our consecration, of our offering ourselves to God as a living sacrifice; the meaning of consecration is to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. Today, in our Christian life and church life, there is the need for the
continual burnt offering.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
“They built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God”.
“They began to offer up burnt offerings to Jehovah”; the burnt offering signifies Christ’s being absolute for God’s satisfaction; the burnt offering is for God’s food that God may enjoy it and be satisfied; the Hebrew word translated “burnt offering” literally means “that which goes up” and denotes something that is ascending to God; this ascending refers to Christ; the burnt offering is “a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah”.
In Leviticus the first offering that is mentioned is not the sin offering or the trespass offering but the burnt offering.
The Experience of Life
In order to progress spiritually, we need to pass through the cross daily; if we want to have a proper church life, we need to experience the cross; through the cross we need to become nothing, to have nothing, and to be able to do nothing; otherwise, what we are, what we have, and what we can do will become a substitute for Christ.
Christ as our burnt offering is completely for God, absolutely for God; by laying our hands on Christ as the burnt offering, we are joined to Him; as Christ lives in us, He repeats in us the life He lived on the earth, the life of the burnt offering.
Practice and Application
We need to realize that we are not absolutely for God and that of ourselves we cannot be absolute; therefore, we need to take Christ as our burnt offering.
To live a life of the continual burnt offering is to be a living sacrifice; we who belong to God should offer ourselves daily to God; today, in our Christian life and church life, there is the need for the continual burnt offering.
We need to worship God the Father with Christ as the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction to fulfill His desire. God wants us to worship Him with Christ as the reality of all the offerings; the offerings are for pleasing God and making Him happy. Proper worship is a matter of satisfying God with Christ as the burnt offering.
PROPHESYING TO PICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 For the recovery of the house we need the recovery of the altar (Ezra 3:2; Rom. 12:1)
(Please illustrate the spiritual significance of that they did not offer anything except the burnt offering upon the altar according to Ezra 3.)
T2 Only this type of consecration can bring about the building up of the churches (Ezra 3:4)
(Please illustrate that the sacrifice in Ezra 3 was for the building. )
Day 2
T1 In His economy God gives us one person and one way (1 Cor. 2:2)
(Please illustrate the one person is the preeminent, all-inclusive Christ, and the one way is the cross.)
T2 Our way is the cross, not asceticism or any severe treatment of the self (Luke 9:23)
(Please illustrate with experiences that how we can apply the cross of Christ in our daily life.)
Day 3
T1 God’s food is the offerings we presented to Him (Num. 28:2)
(Please illustrate all the offerings in Numbers 28, which are God’s food, point to Christ.)
T2 If we would enjoy the best fellowship with God, we need to serve Him with Christ as His food (Lev. 2:8)
(Please illustrate eventually, God’s food also becomes our food.)
Day 4
T1 The Hebrew word translated “burnt offering” literally means “that which goes up” and denotes something that ascends to God (Lev. 1:9)
(Please illustrate that the burnt offering indicates a life absolutely for God.)
T2 Our first problem with God is not a matter of trespasses but a matter of not being for God (Heb. 1:5, 7)
(Why do we first need to take Christ as our burnt offering?)
Day 5
T1 By laying our hands on Christ as our burnt offering, we are joined to Him (Lev. 1:4)
(Please illustrate that the offerer was not only to bring the offering but also to lay his hand on the offering)
T2 Taking and enjoying Christ as our burnt offering(Lev. 1:5-6)
(Please illustrate the symbolic meaning of cutting of the offering into pieces)
Day 6
T1 The offering of these sacrifices is a type of our consecration (Rom. 12:1)
(Please illustrate that the meaning of consecration is to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice for God’s satisfaction.)
T2 The Old Testament people offered dead sacrifices, whereas we offer living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1; 2 Cor. 5:15)
(Please illustrate that the purpose of our consecration to the Lord is to live to Him.)