We established in part one that we are chosen. Not were chosen, where we could have missed our only opportunity, but we are this chosen generation.
We established also in part one to be a royal priesthood means; of a foundation of authority, holy to give sacrifices. Well Peter is calling us this as well, because the new testiment is for all to learn how to live under grace, and since Peter, then, is talking to us, calling us a priest that sacrifices, how does that relate to us in 2010?
In Hebrews 13:9-16 it says "Be not carried about with various strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein".
Here the writer of Hebrews is wanting to establish that the laws written regarding meat and the many other laws have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Seveal laws were given to the Israelites by God in addition to the 10 commandments. In these laws God was very clear on what meats to eat, what to leave alone and even so far as to point out certain parts of meats were to be sacrificed on the alter while the rest of the animal was to be burned outside the camp. During this era the Israelites' obedience pleased God, and with following the instructions it 'rolled' their sin forward one year. These instructions profited them.
Here in Hebrews 13:9 the writer is making it clear following those laws no longer profits man because 'it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace' instead. This is where the scripture comes to life in Romans 6:14 '.....for ye are not under the law, but under grace'.
What is grace? Grace is the unmerited favor of God. When in our sin, deserving to die, because the wages or payment of sin is death, God sent His lamb, Jesus, to die in our place and the sin was not moved forward a year, but removed as far as the east is from the west [Psalm 103:12]. Why wouldn't he say as far as the north is from the south? Because if you go north long enough, then you begin heading south! God wanted to paint the picture of our sin being removed from us, gone. The day we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, our sin is removed and our soul becomes as white as snow. And at that very point what becomes available to us is wholeness: Isaiah 53:5 says wholeness becomes available to us:
for our spirit: Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, payment for us to have a new spirit, to become whole spiritually.
for our soul: The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. We no longer have to be plagued in our mind, our will or our emotions, with fear, failure, fret, regret. Total peace is available for us for a soul that is whole.
for our body: With His stripes we are healed. We have total healing available for wholeness in our body. We do not have to walk around broken and diseased. We have available to us total wholeness.
All this is recorded in that one scripture, total wholeness for our entire being. So we received so much more than just a way to Heaven upon salvation. We received wholeness. This scripture shows how that healing and wholeness was brought to us, through what Jesus went through for us. The way I think of what happened at salvation, was that our unborn spirit traded places with Jesus' full sized, filled Spirit. We became whole in our spirit. That we traded our hurt, tattered, disfunctional soul, with Jesus' Godly, pure, loving whole soul. And our broken down, unhealthy, diseased body traded places with Jesus as He went to the Cross, us rising in newness of health and wholeness in our entire bodies.
We traded places with Him. He took our sin, we took His righteousness. He took our tortured, anxiety ridden minds, and we took His peace. He took our diseased bodies, and with the stripes that were laid on His healthy body that was marked up with 39 stripes, all 39 diseases known to man were provided with healing. We .... traded places with Jesus in all counts. (Praise Moment: thank you Lord Jesus. You took what should have been ours, and you took it willingly. Thank you for giving back so much to us. Thank you so much!)
This was all provided through Jesus Christ willingly dying in our place. This is the good news, the Gospel. That's why 'it is a good thing for the heart to be established with grace'. So we learn, get established.
Back to Hebrews 13:12-16 "wherefore Jesus also, that He may sancify the people [that's us] with His own blood, suffered outside the gate [Calvary]. Let us go forth therefore unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 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, forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased".
This is the sacrifice of the royal priesthood spoken of in 1 Peter 2:9-10. We are a chosen generation, chosen to do what? We are a royal priesthood, sacrificing what? "that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. [THIS IS WHY WE PRAISE HIM!] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God.
Let's stop there; have you ever felt alone? Well, you aren't. You're one of God's people. Have you ever felt like you didn't belong? Well, you do! You belong to the family of God. You're His people. Here's proof. That's why we are to go to Church, to be with all His people, our spiritual family. Is everyone in your earthly family healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually all at once? Well neither is your spiritual family. You know as your earthly family matures and grows, so does your spiritual family. No one in the Church is perfect because they are still growing and changing and moving foward [or should be]. Do not look to people only, they will disappoint you. You have to look to your Heavenly Father, you are part of God's people.
You have purpose as a royal priesthood, offering the sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of your lips, giving thanks unto God.
Have you ever wondered why it's called the 'sacrifice' of praise. There are songs that have been built around that one phrase 'sacrifice of praise'. One tune is very uplifting and lilting with a melody that imparts a jig in your heart, let's sing it; "We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the House of the Lord. We bring the sacrifice of praise into the House......of the Lord. And we offer up to you, the sacrifice-s of thanks-giv-ing. And we off-er up to You, the sacrifice-s of love". That was fun wasn't it? If you knew that song, your toe even tapped a bit as you sang it in your head, now didn't it? Didn't it? Dont fib, I can just see you bouncing your toe a little as you sang it.
Let's switch gears for a moment, what if, let's say, that you're not having such a good day. You're having a really hard time with your bills, and your child gets sick and needs to go to the doctor and it's somewhat serious and an auditor calls saying they want to schedule some time to go over everything with you, and your boss calls and says he's going to have to lay you off, and your Mom is getting worse, needing to go into a nursing home and has no money, but may need to come stay with you instead. This is stress. This is moving into crisis. This is not a toe tapping, lilting, head bobbing kind of day.
This is why God told this Psalmist, David, to write that it's a sacrifice. God says if you will sacrifice your emotion and praise Me, I will be honored and be glorified. I will have access to your soul and be able to lift you out of what you're moving into. But if I allow you to walk through this and you sacrifice the fruit of your lips to praise Me, I can lift you out at just the right moment and the lions mouth with be closed, you wont get burned, not even sienged, and you wont even smell like smoke. I'm telling you, I may even promote you to 2nd in command, if you will just give me this sacrifice of praise, the sweet fruit of your lips. Not lip service, but true true worship, showing Me your love, I will truly move in your behalf.
We have a purpose; to give thanks and honor to the one that took our sin, our turmoil, our tradegy and gave us in return, His life. He even told us in John 10:10 "I came to give you life, and life more abundantly". Let's give Him the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our own lips!
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