An Offering Made by Fire

It's always such a tremendous blessing to have that blessing of little children.

A lot of things are happening in the world right now, aren't they? A lot of things going on. We, of course, just had the piece of tabernacle. I hope we all had a very enjoyable piece of tabernacle. We were in Gatlinburg this year for the first time, and it was a wonderful feast we had down there. The weather was really great for the most part. It rained the day I spoke. I said, I'm not sure how you want to take that, but anyway. But it was a very, very good weather for the most part. It was beautiful down there, a beautiful area, and we very much enjoyed it. Wonderful messages that we had throughout the feast in Gatlinburg this year.

Lots happening in the world as we know. We just had a presidential election, which we saw in the BT Daily by Mr. McNeely. It is going to affect all of us, affect our nation, affect the next four years at least, and probably have an impact on a lot of people in a lot of ways. A lot of people were very excited without a result. Other people were very troubled by the result. And of course, right now, as we know, we appreciate having Larry and Karen Walker here with us, and they're going to be going back to the great state of Oregon, but Portland is not so great right now. And as you know, it's really sad to see some of the results of what happened. But the fact that there's rioting in Oregon, in Portland, it's a beautiful city. Some people came out and said Portland is probably one of the most liberal cities in the United States. I'm not sure. I think Seattle might be number one, and Portland number two maybe, but I think there's been some problems up in Seattle as well. But I know there are a lot of major cities where there are riots breaking out, and Portland is one of the lead ones right now, and where there's destruction taking place, destruction of property, and it's very a lot of violence, and it's really sad to see that happening. But this coming to number 24th also, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving, and I just think some of those people that are rioting and saying things about our country and worried about things, they should go back and review a little history of our early pilgrims and the trials and problems they had in coming to America and getting settled. And how I think those that came across in 1620, 1621, and tried to establish our nation as those early pilgrims did, I think over half of those people had a lot of...somebody in the family member died in the process. A lot of people died. There's over 50 percent. I believe somebody had either a child or a parent or a brother or sister died from those families that came over there. So they had tremendous hardship, and yet even with all that hardship and loss, they still found today to be thankful to God for their blessings and for where they were and the opportunity they had, the freedom they had to start a new nation. So that was a tremendous example. But you know, it's been a difficult time right now, and we just finished a piece of Tabernacles. Oftentimes, either before or after God's feasts and holy days, we have trials. A lot of trials can happen, and obviously, look at what's going on in the world right now. The uncertainty we have with the riots taking place and how long will those go before they'll settle down. What will it take to settle some people down? I don't know. But who knows what this next four years will bring or what the next few months or next year will bring for all of us. We do know that it seems to be that the trials are getting heavier. There seem to be more trials taking place that we all have to face and deal with. I know a lot of people had trials either before or during the feast this year. We had a lot of sickness. Some people had some trials before the feast where they were not able to attend the feast. We had some relatives that were having an aunt, Aunt Nancy, Evelyn's aunt, who has been in the church for over 50 years. She's attended probably well over 40 or 50. I think she probably attended the feast Tabernacles for probably about 50 years.

This is the first year she wasn't able to make it because some trials that came up from their family. So there are people who weren't even able to make the feast this year because of trials, and others had problems during the feast where they missed portions of the feast. So we are facing a lot of trials, and we don't know what's going to happen in the coming year, but we do know that we are going to have trials. But trials can be a positive thing. They can make us stronger spiritually, and they can make us more resilient.

No one is going to make it into God's kingdom without having to go through and face trials and difficulties along the way. As Ms. McGuire talked about at Surbonette, we're on that narrow and difficult road that's not easy to travel on, but it's the road that leads to God's kingdom and leads to eternal life. And Christ tells us in Matthew, I'm not going to turn, I'm just going to mention this to start here, tells us in Matthew 24.13, he who endures to the end is going to be saved. Just the very fact that it says that, he who endures, means we're going to have trials because that's what we have to endure. We have to endure many, many trials and try to learn what we can from those trials. But God's annual Feast in Holy Days, as we know, we just got through observing a piece of tabernacle on eighth day. They portray God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, and that plan of salvation is also portrayed as incorporated in many, many trials.

Trials are actually associated with all God's Feast in Holy Days. As we see, we always know we have trials usually before Passover, sometimes during days of Unleavened Red, and during God's Feast in Holy Days trials can come along, especially at those times. So, no one's going to complete God's plan of salvation without enduring many, many trials and maybe hardships along the way. Today, then, I want to review all of God's annual Feast in Holy Days from the perspective of trials and from the perspective of why we should always be thankful for our trials, even though they can be very difficult sometimes and painful to endure. My title, title for my sermon here this morning is, An Offering Made by Fire, an offering made by fire, a phrase which occurs in one chapter of the Bible seven times, which we'll see a little bit later.

I want to begin with this question. When it comes to offerings, because it's the title of offerings made by fire, when it comes to offerings, how does the New Testament differ from the Old Testament? Paul gives us the basic answer to that question in the book of Hebrews. Let's begin in the book of Hebrews. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 10. We're going to look at the first 10 verses here of Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10 verse 1, we'll begin there.

Well, Paul, the writer of Hebrews, says, for the law, the law in this case being the law of sacrifice, the sacrificial law of the Old Testament, or the law pertaining to animal sacrifices, for the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, though the Old Testament animal sacrifices, of course it pointed to Christ's sacrifice, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year as they did in the Old Testament, make those who approach perfect, referring to those who approach the originally the tabernacle in the wilderness to make those sacrifices, and later those who approach the temple to make those sacrifices. Those sacrifices, those who approach the temple of the tabernacle, they can never make the one who approaches perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. In other words, animal sacrifices cannot purify us or perfect us. What then is their purpose? Verse 3, but in those sacrifices there's a reminder of sins every year. They reminded the offeror that as a shadow of good things to come, as we just read, that a future sacrifice would be needed that could then actually pay the penalty for our sins and take away that penalty. Verse 4, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats, those Old Testament sacrifices, could take away sins. Therefore, when he came into the world, he said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. I stopped and read that and he paused just for a second. What exactly did Paul or the writer of Hebrews mean when he said, a body you have prepared for me? It's interesting what Berkeley's New Testament study Bible says in regards to that particular verse, latter part of verse 5. It says Hebrews takes a quotation from Psalm 40 verses 6 to 9. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, my ears you have opened. The writer to the Hebrews quotes differently, and in the second line, he has, but a body you have prepared for me in Hebrews. But back in Psalms that he's quoting from, it says, my ears you have opened. Why that discrepancy? It's an interesting question. Now, Berkeley goes into a long answer, but I just want to give the bottom line to what he answers. He says the explanation is that the meaning of the two phrases are the same. My ears you have opened means, as it is in Psalms, means you have so touched me that everything that I hear I obey.

It is the obedient ear which the psalmist is thinking. But a body you have prepared for me really means you created me that in my body and with my body I should do your will. In essence, the meaning is the same, to obey God, to do God's will. That's what both phrases basically mean.

So God wants, and I'll just rephrase it this way, God wants a spiritual body of believers who will do his will, who will follow God, obey God and do his will. He desires that we all strive to do his will, as it says here in just a few more verses. Verse 6, in burnt offerings and sacrifice for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come in the volume of the book it is written to me to do your will, O God. Christ came to do his Father's will.

We're going to follow Christ by also striving to do God's will. Verse 8, previously saying, sacrifice and offering, burn offerings and offerings for sin you did not desire nor had pleasure in them which are offered according to the law, the sacrificial law. And then he said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God. That's what Christ gave me, came to do God's will. He takes away the first and he may establish the second. The first being animal sacrifice and offerings and the second basically doing according to God's will, following God and obeying God and doing according to his will. What did Christ pray just before he was taken to be crucified? He knelt down and prayed, I'm quoting now Luke 22 verses 41 and 42. He knelt down and prayed saying, Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. Again, Christ came to do his Father's will. And what was his Father's will? It was his Father's will to sacrifice his only begotten Son to pay the death penalty for our sins.

So we could then do what? So we could then receive God's Holy Spirit to help us do God's will, to follow God and obey God. And so we could then be sanctified or set apart for that particular purpose. Hebrews 10 verse 10. By that will we have been sanctified, we've been set apart through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. I want to ask this question. I want to bring this down to all of us personally. How is striving to do God's will, I mean in striving, I should say, in striving to do God's will, are sacrifices still necessary according to the New Covenant? If they are, if sacrifices are still necessary in the New Covenant, what kind of sacrifice is necessary? And by whom must those sacrifices be made?

And what must we do in order to do God's will? Let's go now to the book of Romans.

Let's go to Romans chapter 12.

Romans 12 verse 1, where Paul says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable surface. So under the New Covenant, we are to become living sacrifices, which is our reasonable service. What else? Verse 2, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So we talk again about doing God's will. It's God's will that we become living sacrifices. That's the context here. God wants us. It's His will that we become living sacrifices. So we can then be transformed to the mind of Jesus Christ. So when it comes to offerings, then, how does the New Testament differ from the Old Testament? In the New Testament, Christ offered Himself, so we in turn could then follow God's will by striving to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.

Sacrificing what? Sacrificing our thoughts, sacrificing our way of life, sacrificing the way our kernel minds would want us to go, turning away from the ways of this world, and all that entails. Sacrificing our way of life so we can be transformed into the image and likeness of God.

How does all this relate to an offering made by fire? See, fire can be symbolic of trials, as indicated by the Apostle Peter. Let's turn to 1 Peter. 1 Peter 4. Let's look at one verse here, primarily. I'll have a look at a couple others as well. But 1 Peter 4 verse 7, let's start there. 1 Peter 4 verse 7, where Peter writes, and I'm just trying to show you how this relates an offering made by fire, how it relates to trials. 1 Peter 4 verse 7, By the end of all things is at hand, therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Now, you have to think about this because this was written about 2000 years ago, and of course, we just got a sermonette here by Mr. McGuire on Rome, and all the roads lead to Rome. We should be almost should not lead to Rome, but that was very, very interesting. I didn't realize that statistic that we have about, was it 48,000 miles of highways and Rome at 50,000 miles? That's absolutely amazing. I didn't realize that. That's quite amazing. They were quite the builders, weren't they? But when Peter wrote this, as recorded here in 1 Peter 4, 7, 2000 years ago, Christians were suffering a great deal of persecution because of what was happening in Rome and in the Roman Empire and in the roads that led to Rome. Especially at that time, about the time he wrote this was probably during the latter part of Nero's reign. At least, some think that's about the time it might have been written. Of course, Nero, as you know, he reigned for about 12 years, I think. I can't remember exactly now. But during the latter portion of his reign, he basically almost went insane. He got very mad, very insane. He had great persecution to Christians at that time. So Peter could well have thought that the end of all things was at hand because of the persecution that Christians were experiencing under Nero during that latter part of his reign. That the followers of Christ should then, therefore, be serious and watchful in their prayers because they were in very difficult times. They were living in a very hard time to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. But now, when Peter wrote that, he says, now we're living in a time when the end of all things is at hand. Was Peter wrong in what he wrote? Because, looking back from our perspective now, 2,000 years later, we now know that the end of all things was not at hand when Peter wrote this. We've got 2,000 years past that now. We're still going. But we can look at things now in our time and say, well, the way things are going in this world, maybe the end of all things is at hand. We could say that today, too. And there have been four times in history when other people, the followers of Christ, when they have great times of persecution, that they could have felt that as well, various times.

See, in a very important sense, the end of all things was at hand when Peter wrote that.

Because, as related to my sermon that I gave in the Feast in Gellenberg, how much time do each and every one of us have? We each have our lifetime. That's it. We have the time that God gives us in this life. And I looked at myself, I gave that sermon, I said, I'm 75. Back in Psalms, it was 70-80 years, maybe the average. I'm 75, so I have to say, maybe for me, the end of all things is at hand. I don't have that many years left in order to follow God, in order to learn what I need to learn. So, I could say that. And I think, at any time, in any person's life, we never know what might happen tomorrow, or the next day, or next week, or next month. We never know when the end of our life could be. For any of us at any given time, because something might happen, we hope we have God's protection and shelter, but things do happen. And for anyone at any given time, their life, end of their life, could be at hand. We just don't know. We pray God gives us the time we need to be with our family as long as possible, and to help out, and doing God's will as long as we can. But we never know when our life might end. So, for those who read this 2,000 years ago, the end of their lives could be said to be at hand. For everyone who's ever lived and never read this over the past 2,000 years, we could say they didn't know when their life was going to end. Their life could also be said to be at hand, generally speaking.

And that would be the same for us today. Therefore, we should always be serious and watchful in our prayers. But notice, especially verse 12, where fire is associated with trials. Going, dropping down now to 1 Peter 4, verse 12, Beloved, do not think it's strange, because during the fiery trial we should try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. I mean, probably all felt that way at times. Sometimes we can understand why we might be going through a trial. But other times when we have a trial, we'll say, why am I going through this? What happened? Why am I having to go through this trial? And it may seem strange, if I can, some strange thing has happened.

But we may now also be entering a time when we may all be tested by fiery trials. It talks about fire being associated with trials here. That's the association we want to make. Fire can be symbolic of trials. Peter here talks about fiery trials. When we have a trial, or a fiery trial, as Peter mentions here, when that happens, what should our focus be? How did Peter begin this epistle? Let's go back to chapter 1. Because the time Peter wrote this, followers of Christ were going through fiery trials. 1 Peter 1, verse 3. Here's what he starts this letter. He talks a lot about trials in this letter. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to His abundant mercy, have begotten us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and it does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. It doesn't say that heaven is our inheritance. It says that our inheritance is reserved for us in heaven, where no man can get to it. No man can ever take it away from us. As long as we're made faithful to God to the end of our life. Verse 5, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time at the return of Jesus Christ for all of us. In this you greatly rejoice. So he, he, prioritizing, we need to be positive through trials. Realize they're very valuable for us. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. But greatly rejoice. That's where our focus should be, as we enter a time when we may be tested by fiery trials. Focus on the living hope we have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But trials are never easy. They do bring grief.

We oftentimes grieve when we come to trials, especially some trials can be very, very, very painful. Especially if there's a loss someone you know they're very close to or some member of the family. Trials are never easy. They're always difficult and nearly always bring us a great deal of grief. But they can also be very precious. Why are trials precious and how precious are they?

Verse 6, in this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, indeed you'll be grieved by various trials. That the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, talked about gold that perishes, though it be tested by fire, that our genuineness of faith be tested by fire, by trials, that may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Why are trials so precious? Because they test the genuineness of our faith. They test to see is our faith. Is our belief in Jesus Christ? Is our belief in God's promises? Are those genuine? Are they deep down in our heart where no man could ever take that away from us no matter what happened, no matter what we went through? Are they genuine? Are they deep-seated into our hearts where they could never be taken away from us? Where nothing that happens to us could ever undermine our faith?

Even if we consider it to be wrong or unfair? I mean, that's the hardest, I think, trial probably to go through and deal with. It's something that you feel is not right, is unfair. It's really difficult. And I think every one of us here in this room who've been in God's Church for any time at all have gone through some kind of trial that didn't... they seem like a suffering wrongfully. You know, we don't understand why this happened. It's not fair. But do we have faith that God can in His own time, in His own way, right all wrongs? If we are humble and liable, remain faithful to our calling. See, trials are very precious because they test the genuis of our faith. They tell God, look, here is a person, nothing that happens, even death is going to cause this person to turn away from me. They're going to trust in me and look to me no matter what happens. They test the genuis of our faith, which can be very precious. How precious are they? It says they are much more precious than gold that perishes. You know, gold has a value. It's a human value that's based on it. Last week, when I gave the sermon, the value was right around $1,300 an ounce. Since the election, unlike what most people thought, some people thought the saltbarker was going to take a huge plunge. Instead of that, it's risen to new heights. It's an all-time high, and gold has gone down. It hasn't gone down a lot, but it's gone down. I forget what it is now. It's 12-something. But it's gone down some. But the value of gold varies. Depending on the circumstances, depending on what happens in the world, depending on how much faith people have on that value.

With that value, that value is placed on it by humans, and that value can diminish, or even perish, into the right circumstances. But our salvation, which is kept by the power of God through faith, that will never perish. Nobody can take that away from you. And that's why it's far more valuable than gold, which perishes. Now, why is one of you what we've covered so far? Number one, we've seen that in the New Testament, we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. We are to become living sacrifices. And we've also seen that fire can be symbolic of our trials, which are more precious than gold, that perishes because they test the genuineness of our faith.

I want to ask this question next. How does all this relate to God's annual feasts and holy days?

The answer is that I want to go to Leviticus 23. We're all familiar with Leviticus 23.

Leviticus 23 is the chapter, of course, where all of God's feasts and holy days are mentioned.

We've read that many times. We're familiar with it. It's one place in the Bible where it covers all of God's annual feasts and holy days. But also, it's very interesting that an offering made by fire is associated with each and every feast of God in each holy day.

Let's go to Leviticus 23, verse 1. Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, The feast of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are my feasts. They're not man's feasts, they're not the feasts of the Jews, they're not the feasts of the Israelites, they're God's feasts that God proclaimed.

Verse 4, These are the feasts of the eternal, their holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.

Then in verse 5, On the fourteenth day of the first month of twilight is the first feast the Lord's Passover, on which a Lamb without blemish of the first year was to be sacrificed, as you can read in Exodus 12, verses 5 and 6. That Lamb, of course, being symbolic of Christ's perfect sacrifice as the perfect Lamb of God. But now notice an offering made by fire, as mentioned here in this context. Verse 6, On the fifteenth day of the same month is the beginning of the feast of tabernacles to the Lord. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

On the first day you shall have a holy convocation, as you do no customary work on it.

Verse 8, But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Eternal. And then it says you should make an offering made by fire for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation. You should do no customary work on it. So for seven days indicates here, during each of the seven days of unleavened bread, you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. Now it's not my purpose today to go through or focus on any of the animal sacrifices to burn offerings. It's my purpose to focus on what this means spiritually for all of us today. In what way can we become an offering made by fire? Enough from it, but fire is also connected to the countdown to Pentecost.

Going to verse 9, the leg of verse 23. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak the children of Israel, and say to them, When you come into the land which I give you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheep of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. And ye shall wave the sheep before the Lord to be accepted on your behalf.

On the day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it. And of course, our correct understanding of that is that this is referring to the weekly Sabbath that occurs during the days of unleavened bread. And the wave sheep was then offered on the day after that Sabbath, which would then be on the first day of the week, or on the day we call Sunday. It was on that day that the countdown to Pentecost began.

Verse 15, And ye shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, and the day that you brought the sheep of the wave offering, seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, then ye shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. Of course, that would be the day we call the day of Pentecost, or count fifty. Counting inclusively to the day after the seventh Sabbath would then be on a Sunday, which is when we always observe Pentecost on a Sunday.

Now, counting that way to Pentecost, I want to bring out a couple spiritual lessons I think are interesting here, or potential lessons we can have spiritually. Counting from that particular way to Pentecost, as we do, eliminates a preparation day for Pentecost, since the day before Pentecost will always be a weekly Sabbath. Now, Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, it's also called in the Old Testament, is also referred to in Numbers 28 verse 26 as the day of the first fruits, as it portrayed the culmination of the early spring harvest, portraying the picturing the harvest of the first fruits, those who were called first, the culmination of the early spring harvest.

In James 1 verse 18 and Revelation 14.4, we are referred to as being the first fruits, first fruits to God. And I'm pointing this out just to bring out a possible spiritual lesson that could tie into Pentecost, always being observed on a Sunday and thus eliminating a day of preparation. You know, we are striving for a wonderful high calling. We have been called to be the spiritual first fruits to God, and we have to make ourselves ready to become the Bride of Christ, Revelation 19.7.

What lesson we learned from that? Well, we need to be preparing ourselves now. It says, you know, you better take advantage of the time you have, whatever time you have. You never know when God's Kingdom might be at hand for us at the end of our life, but take the time you have now to prepare to become the Bride of Christ, to make yourself ready.

Don't wait until the last minute. We can't wait until the day before the harvest of the first fruits to make ourselves ready, which I believe is a possible spiritual lesson why there is no preparation day before Pentecost. That's a spiritual lesson we might derive from that. But on the other hand, you think this through, there is a preparation day for Pentecost. And what day is that? It's the weekly Sabbath, because we have to prepare spiritually.

For all of us as the first fruits, our preparation day is a weekly Sabbath, just as the weekly Sabbath is the day before Pentecost. When we come together on the weekly Sabbath, we are learning spiritual lessons that can help us to become prepared to be the first fruits of God, become the Bride of Christ. And we have to begin preparing for that in advance. We can't wait until the last minute.

So there are very, very many, very valuable lessons for counting to Pentecost as the way we do. I want to get back now to an offering made by fire. As I said, an offering made by fire is also connected to the countdown to Pentecost.

And we've been reading that, but I haven't got to that scripture yet. Let's continue here on Leviticus 23, verse 11. He shall wave the sheath before the Lord to be accepted on your behalf on the day after the Sabbath. This beast shall wave it. And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheath, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. Now, notice verse 13. Its grain offering shall be two tenths of an epi, a fine flower mixed with oil.

Again, here's that phrase. An offering made by fire to the Lord for a sweet aroma, and His drink offering shall be of wine, one fourth of a hymn. So an offering made by fire is also connected to Pentecost by means of the countdown to Pentecost.

What comes next after Pentecost? Verse 23 of Leviticus 23. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You should do no custom work on it, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

So on trumpets, they were also stuck here to make an offering made by fire. What about atonement? Verse 26. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Also the tenth day of the seventh month shall be the day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation, and you shall flick your souls, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. So on atonement, they were also to offer an offering made by fire.

What about the Feast of Tabernacles? Verse 33. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, the fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles, for seven days to the Lord. On the first day, there should be a holy convocation. You should do no customary work on it. Verse 36. For seven days, you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It's what appears that on each of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, they're also instructed to make an offering made by fire. What about the eighth day? Continue verse 36. On the eighth day, you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you should do no customary work on it.

So also on the eighth day, they're to make an offering made by fire. Thus, an offering made by fire was to be made on each of the annual holy days, and it appears on each of the seven days of unleavened bread and on each of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. So an offering made by fire does relate to all of God's annual feasts and holy days. So then, the final question I have then is, what lessons can we learn from this that can apply to us as being living sacrifices?

What lessons can we learn from an offering made by fire as being associated here with all of God's annual feasts and holy days, which of course our lives focus on and show us the means of salvation we have through Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is the center of each of God's annual feasts and holy days, as we know. God's annual feasts and holy days portray God's plan of salvation through Christ.

And even though Christ was perfect, wasn't he? He did no sin, never sin. He was perfect.

Never even thought wrong thought. It was sinful.

Even though he was perfect and did no sin, he suffered more trials and adversity than anyone who has ever suffered, humanly speaking. He became flesh and dwelled among us, and he suffered more wrongful suffering and more trials than any human being ever had or ever will. And all of his suffering was wrongful suffering because he didn't deserve anything that happened to him.

How did Christ handle that? How did he handle it?

Let's go back to 1 Peter. This time let's go to 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verse 17.

And you just wish that those who are rioting right now in our streets, if they could just read this Scripture and apply this principle. 1 Peter 2, 1 Peter 2, honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.

Honor the king. Honor those in authority. First, honor all people. You know, the word honor has a special meaning. To honor is to value, to place a high value on something. That's to honor someone or something. To honor is to value. We should value all people, regardless of where they are now in their life, regardless of what mistakes they may have made. They're valuable to God. Christ died for everyone. He died for all people. He honored all people by dying in their behalf to pay the penalty of their sins, regardless of where they are now, even for his enemies. He died for his enemies.

So we should honor all people and value all people, regardless of where they are, even those who might be opposed to us or opposed to what we know is right or true.

Love the brotherhood. Love and try to associate with everyone who is a part of the brotherhood of Jesus Christ. I realize we're going to have more in common with some than others, but we should honor and value everyone in God's church, whoever they are.

We all need to be pulling for one another. We're going to enter hard times, difficult times. We all need to be pulling together and growing together, especially in the times we're now living in. And if we do that, that is, in essence, also fearing God by having deep respect for God's Word and deep respect for Christ's sacrifice, who laid down his life for everyone, even for those who opposed him and who were instrumental in putting him to death. He died for them as well.

Then it says, honor the king. Boy, we wish people could do that right now.

Donald Trump is the president he liked, but people are rioting and causing destruction of mayhem.

There even been... there was a tweet when you got some news. This lady that tweeted this was in England, but she basically called for his assassinations. I wish someone would assassinate Trump. Can you imagine anybody saying that? That's horrible.

That's often of honoring, but it was... if we could... everybody could honor whatever the person is in authority, even though we disagree with them. We might totally disagree, but that's not the way to handle it. It says, honor the king. Honor all who are in authority, even if you don't agree with him.

That we can have peace. You know, as Mr. McNeiles said, that we can maybe have peace and carry on God's work as long as we can.

Verse 18, servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear.

And then it says, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. Why? Why should anyone be submissive to those that are harsh and treat them wrongly?

Verse 19, because this is commendable... this is commendable if because of conscious toward God, one endures grief and suffers wrongfully. For what credit or what benefit is it when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently, but when you do good and you suffer wrongfully for it and take it patiently, this is commendable to God. Because if this person is willing to hold on to their face, their face is genuine, they're willing to suffer wrongfully for me.

So they can complete the calling that I've given them. They're going to suffer wrongfully. And in this world, we are going to suffer wrongfully. Even sometimes in God's Church, we suffer wrongfully and among ourselves sometimes. That happens. But this is commendable towards God. It's this commendable if because of conscious toward God, one endures grief, suffers wrongfully. For what credit is it when you're beaten for your faults, you take it patiently, but when you do good and suffer and take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, it says, because Christ also suffered for us. He suffered wrongfully for us. Leaving us an example that when that happens to you, you should follow in His steps who committed no sin, there was deceit found in His mouth. When Christ suffered wrongfully for us, what example did He leave us to follow? He strived to get back. He strived to justify Himself. What example did He leave us?

Verse 23, when He was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He suffered, He didn't threaten back. Instead, what did He do? He committed Himself to God who judges righteously. He knows, God knows everyone's heart. We only judge by outward appearance, but God knows people's hearts. He knows their inner motives and thoughts. He knows their inner struggles, things that they have to struggle with personally. He knows things that may be more mold and shaped than from their upbringing they struggle with. So He can judge righteously. And He judges righteously in what way? He judges righteously with a lot of mercy, a lot of patience, a lot of compassion, a lot of empathy, because He knows how difficult it is to be human. Christ went through the human experience. He knows how difficult it is. Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, my live for righteousness, I who stripes you are healed. But that is how Christ handled wrongful suffering, which for us can be the most difficult type of trial that we have to handle. So we have to look and see, are we handling it as Christ did? Are we just committing it to God?

And if we are handling it as Christ did, that's very commendable before God because they are then presenting, the person who did that, they are then presenting themselves to God as a living sacrifice. I'm going to sacrifice. I'm going to suffer wrongfully as Christ did, so I can show God the generous in my faith, how I steeped down inside that nothing can ever take it away from me.

If you can pass a trial of wrongful suffering, God knows that, wow, this person, I know they're going to be there. They can endure anything because that's the hardest thing to endure, is suffering wrongfully. And we do that. We are presenting ourselves to God as an offering made by fire, which is a very valuable offer, made by fiery trials and tests that we go through and we pass because we commit things to God as Christ did. In snow words, we often have fiery trials before Passover, maybe before the Days of Unleavened Bread, and during the Days of Unleavened Bread sometimes, and sometimes before the Feast of Tabernacles. As we're told in Psalm 34, verse 19, I'm just going to quote it. It says, "...many are the afflictions of the righteous." So prepare souls are following God and trying to have the righteous of Jesus Christ in them, that they're going to have many afflictions. So don't think that's strange. But then it adds this, latter part of Psalm 34, verse 19, it then adds, "...but the Lord delivers him out of them all." But the question is, how are people sometimes delivered? Sometimes that deliverance will come once we've learned what God wants us to learn from the trial we're going through at that particular time. But some afflictions we may have to endure to the end of our life. There are some people who get afflicted with something that they have to endure the end of their life. Even as Paul had to endure his thorn in the flesh, let's turn to 2 Corinthians 12. 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9.

Well, let's start with verse 7. 2 Corinthians 12, verse 7, where Paul writes, "...unless I should be exalt above measure by the abundance of the revelations that God gave to him, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalt above measure. Considering this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me." Verse 9, "...but he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you." My grace, my favor. Grace actually means favor. My favor I've given to you. I've given you a wonderful calling. I opened your eyes. They were blind. You were going to Damascus to persecute and I opened your mind. I gave you spiritual sight. I've given you tremendous calling and I've used it as a wonderful instrument towards others. My favor that I've given to you, Paul, is sufficient for you. But for what purpose did God not remove Paul's thorn in the flesh?

Verse 9, "...my grace sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." When we have a very difficult trial or affliction that's beyond our means to deal with, what does that force us to do? It forces us to go to God to try to get His strength, because sometimes things have weighed us down. They're just more than we can bear. But it forces us in to go to God, God help me. Give me the strength to enjoy this, to learn what I need to learn, to get through this, to come out on the other end of a better instrument to be used by you. Trials force us to go to God for His strength to endure that trial until God removes it, or until we've maybe learned what we need to learn. Paul then learned this. He also said, therefore, in the middle of verse 9, therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, when I'm weak physically and struggling and trying to figure out why has this happened, then I am strong. It forces me to go to God to have His strength to make me strong spiritually. Interesting what he said here. I just want to focus on it. He said, most gladly I will boast in my infirmities. So Paul, once he understood the purpose of his trial, he was then thankful for it. He's thankful he was going through that. Why? Because it helped him learn an extremely valuable lesson he wouldn't have learned otherwise. A lesson he learned from his own personal offering that he made by fire for the trials he went through. Made him realize, wow, I need God's strength. God can see me through this. I have to ask God for His strength. He made him learn a very valuable lesson. We also tend to have trials that are leading up to Trumpets, Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, an eighth day, and after the Feast as well. At times, the trials may even prevent us from being able to attend the Feast as it did for some this year. And everyone God has ever called is going to have to go through. All of us have to go through some trials along the way to mold and shape us. Some will understand. Sometimes we won't understand why we're going through that trial. But this we can't understand. That Christ sacrificed His life for us. Christ became an offer made by fire for us and portrayed by God's plan of salvation through all of God's annual Peace and Holy Days. And in following in His steps, by following His example, we must then also become living sacrifices to God. And we must, through our trials, present ourselves to God as an offering made by fire. Note the words made by. It's trials that make us. It's trials that make us and inform us into God's image and likeness, which is our purpose of our calling. It takes fire. It takes a lot of refining, going through many trials. It takes an offering made by fire to form and shape us into God's image and likeness. Those are then lessons we can learn from an offering made by fire.

So in conclusion, then, be thankful for your trials, even though they're very difficult to go through sometimes, because they are very valuable, part of our lives and our calling. They can help us all learn and come to see things we otherwise would not learn and not see.

And they can help form and shape us into God's image and likeness, which is our purpose. So the main thing is, don't ask why am I having this trial. Instead, ask God, help me to learn what I need to learn, what I can learn through this trial, whether it's right or wrong. Help me learn what I can learn to make me more like you, more into your image and likeness. And remember, trials are more valuable than gold because they can help us become more like, made into the image and likeness of God and Jesus Christ, so it can then be in God's kingdom, which we'll never perish.

So present yourselves a living sacrifice to God and be thankful for your trials, so you can then be common offering, made by fire.