“Sweet Smell Unto the Lord” (Lev 1:14-17)

 “And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: And he shall split it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet smell to the LORD.” (Le 1:14-17 AKJV)

The poor are accepted by God: you and I don’t have to be rich, great, or STRONG in faith. As weak as we are, we shall be received. Small faith has the same love, just in smaller portions, and it has the same faith, just not as much.  Mary and Joseph were TOO POOR to bring a lamb, so they brought what God commanded, only the LEAST of faith and the LEAST of reasons to be accepted, but they were received - “And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he has committed two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering”. Scripture says of Mary and Joseph, “And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought [Jesus] to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord… And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Lev 5:7; Luke 2:23-24). The poor in faith and the RICH in faith are blessed the same; the strong and poor believer are EQUALLY received, though we might not have equal enjoyment, but God DOESN’T despise faith: He doesn’t say, “You have FAITH, but you need more”. Instead, He blesses ALL faith that He sees, growing us, until we’re able to see more clearly that small faith doesn‘t hinder us, so we REALLY believe. No, He doesn’t despise small faith, small believers, or WEAK churches; He stands to receive us all, and the more we know this, the more I can bring a lamb, rather than a dove, but I’m equally accepted and loved either way.

Don’t feel that believers are better than you before God; you and I are either accepted in the Beloved, or we’re not; Christ EITHER mediates, or He doesn’t.  But, if He does, then don’t let who you are stop you from believing for one second how full God is to you. Be your faith small, it will save - “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt” (Matt 14:31)?  Be your assurance tiny, it will promote good works.  A man isn’t judged by the size of faith, but by FAITH alone: not great faith, huge faith, mature faith, or anything other than FAITH connecting us to the sacrifice and person of God’s Son.  Thus, with trembling hand and many doubts be FULLY assured of your acceptance in Christ.

"As It Pleased You" (Jonah 1:11-16)

“Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech you, O Lord, we beseech you, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging” (vs15)

Our hope for sin is Christ DYING for us. We may want to wish that we’d never done it, we may regret it sincerely, and we may desire to change what we’ve done, even apologizing and serving others because of it. But, NONE of this takes away sin; it is faith in Jesus Christ, casting Him overboard and seeing Him punished for us, which quiets the mind. We cannot say, “It is too much. My sin is gross, it is FRESH and new, and I can’t look to Jesus Christ now, because I thought that I’d never sin again like this, and yet here I am”. Your and my sin CAN’T be too great for Christ, unless He is a weak Savior, and that won’t do. It must be God’s glory to put away sin by faith in Christ, rather than His shame that He cannot. This is a debt that He’s WILLING to pay (Luke 7:42).

I say to everyone who hears and reads this gospel: you may cast your sins upon Christ, even as the sinner came to God, putting his sins upon the head of Another, an innocent victim, that he would kill - “If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him“ (Lev 1:3-4). The glory of God is to punish sins in Christ and FORGIVE the sinner. Will you be satisfied that God is PLEASED to pardon you for His sake? If so, then the storm shall be quiet, and you’ll honor Christ by the hope that He gives - “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows” (Jonah 1:15-16). But, remove the atonement, and there’s no hope for you: nothing else pacifies God nor can bring peace to your mind and life. You and I must BELIEVE the glory of God, rather than diminish Him because we think that we’re too clever to be forgiven (Jonah 1:13).