Spiritual Sacrifices of the Melchizedec Priesthood 3
(week 17/06)
Olubi Johnson
In our article last week, we studied the New Testament Melchizedek priesthood equivalent of the peace and meal offerings: peace offering confession of sins, drawing life, confession of the Word followed by praying in tongues; meal offerings: confessions of sins, drawing life, thanksgiving praise and worship, followed by praying or singing in tongues.
This week, we will be examining the New Testament Melchizedek priesthood equivalent of the burnt offering.
The burnt offering is done by:
1. Confession of sins.
2. Drawing life using the Name of Jesus and the written Word.
3. Praying in the Spirit with all types of prayer (Eph. 6. 18, 1 Tm. 2.1 and see our book ‘A Practical Guide to Prayer for more details): petition, supplication, groaning or travail or intercessions (Rom. 8.26) and thanksgiving.
It is this praying in the spirit with all kinds of prayer that makes this a burnt offering because the ‘fire’ of the Holy Spirit generated and released in prayer ‘burns’ up the sin nature in the soul and physical body, which scripture calls a living sacrifice:
Matthew 3:11 NKJV: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Acts 2:3-4 NKJV: Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Mark 9:49 NKJV: “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
Romans 12:1 NKJV: 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 service.
You need to offer up this burnt offering for different areas of your life on a regular basis:
1. As a daily habit for yourself to become more conformed to the image of Christ:
Luke 9:23 NKJV: Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Romans 8:13 NKJV: For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Colossians 4:12 NKJV: Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
2. Weekly or monthly for members of your immediate family: wife, children, siblings for them to be more conformed to the image of Christ:
Galatians 4:19 NKJV: My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you
3. Weekly or monthly for your healing and health; protection from physical death and your property from damage, loss and theft; going to bed early and waking up early to pray; finances; vocational and spiritual service in the church; salvation of members of your extended family.
It is offering up burnt offerings on a regular basis that creates an ‘open heaven, through which your peace and meal offerings will be effective (they maybe acceptable but as effective as they could be): rising to God as a ‘sweet smelling savour’.
For your meal and peace offerings to be effective, you need to be offering up burnt offerings on a regular basis or be under the covering of a spiritual Father or leader who is: the more open the heavens over you are the more effective your prayers will be.
Furthermore, notice that all the offerings: peace, meal and burnt offerings have included in them sin offerings: to keep our spirits clean from any spot of sin when we offer them.
1 John 1:7-9 NAS: But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2 Peter 3:14 NKJV: Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless
1 Timothy 6:14 NKJV: that you keep this commandment without spot
Hebrews 13:20-21 NKJV: Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
It is when we individually and collectively, in the unity of love, offer up sin, meal, peace and burnt offerings effectively that the glory of God will be made manifest in the church in this hour.
This is typified in Aaron (with his sons helping him) offering up the sin, peace and burnt offerings in the Tabernacle of Moses that brought about the manifestation of the glory of God:
Leviticus 9:6-7, 22-24 NKJV: Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded you to do, and the glory of the LORD will appear to you.” 7 And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.” 22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, 24 and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
