Living Sacrifices

If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD … And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. Leviticus 1:3, 9

There are five offerings in Leviticus that speak of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. With the exception of one, all the offerings mentioned are sacrifices that involve the shedding of blood. Each portrays a certain aspect of Christ and our spiritual walk with Him.

All aspects of those offerings are given in great detail. Nothing is left to the imagination and private interpretation of men. A wise man once said:

• “The holiness of God demanded a sacrifice;
• The majesty of God required certain regulations;
• The honor of God necessitated a code of conduct;
• The perfection of God expected the best of its kind;
• The purity of God deserved freedom from blemish;
• The sovereignty of God meant absolute obedience to details.”
  

The first of the five offerings in Leviticus is the burnt offering. It is a freewill offering in which one would offer his best possessions to the Lord. Four items of an animal must be placed on the altar, to be consumed by fire:

1. The head, which speaks of our thoughts and aspirations.
   
2. The fat, which speaks of the extras that God has prospered us with.
   
3. The internal entrails, which speak of our deepest feelings.
   
4. The legs, which speak of our spiritual walk.
   

All these areas of our lives must be yielded, purified and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Christ is our burnt offering. He came into the world as a man, not to do His own will, but to fulfill the will of the Father who sent Him. He has “given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Eph. 5:2). He has willingly surrendered His total self—body, soul and spirit—to do the will of His heavenly Father, and to complete it victoriously.

But the burnt offering is also about you. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14). While you are not saved by works, you are saved for good works.

The burnt offering speaks of your personal consecration as a vessel for God’s use. Paul beseeches you to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). Like Jesus, when you willingly submit your life to do God’s will in your generation, you become a Holy Spirit fired-up offering. You are now a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.