A Place For The Name Of The Lord
Deuteronomy 16 is a chapter where the Passover is reviewed. Verse two states: "Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name." Of course we know that in the Old Testament the Hebrews had to offer sacrifices for their sins daily. Jesus Christ had not yet come as their Deliverer. The Passover was a celebration held once a year as a memorial to their great deliverance from Egypt. They were led out of bondage by God with great miracles. Later God established a covenant with them. But it was during the celebration of the Passover that they remembered and celebrated their freedom.
The Lord said in verse two that He would choose a place where He could put His name. The Lord specifically chose the place to put His name! In the Old Testament, God chose places to put His name. After Jesus Christ's sacrificial death which paid the penalty for mankind's sin, God chose people on whom He could put His name . He chose us! He chose to put His name in and on us! We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. (1 Peter 2:9). We, those of us who have put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, those of us who have committed our lives to Him and follow in His ways---we have the name of the Lord stamped on our hearts.
The word "sacrifice" in that verse of course means the offering up of a life. And the altar was the place where that sacrifice was to be offered. The Lord had great specifics that the Hebrews had to obey in regards to their life and worship. Today it is the same. Though we don't sacrifice animals today, our lives should be that altar where a continual sacrifice is offered up to the Lord. As we offer up our lives as a living sacrifice daily and constantly, He leads and guides us. We are the place where God puts His name.
We should be doing everything in His name- the name of Jesus Christ. We are baptized in the lovely name of Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves up to Him daily and constantly in the lovely name of Jesus Christ, we pray in that lovely name-- the name of Jesus Christ.
I write the name Jesus Christ-- because there are many "names" today that people have taken as their "god". But the Bible says in Acts 4:12 that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." It is the name of Jesus Christ that God desires to place on the hearts of men today. But we can only come to that by His name- at that altar-- our hearts. He had a pattern back in the Old Testament for the building of the Tabernacle and a pattern for how the people should live. Today it is no different. He still has a pattern- and it is the name of Jesus Christ.
The Christian life should be a continual celebration of freedom and a memorial to the establishment of God's covenant with us through Jesus Christ. He CHOSE to put His name on us. We are the sanctuary not made by man, but by God! (Hebrew 9:11) How exciting! We should be the most joyful of people. Though we go through trials and tribulations, our life is still a celebration of God's covenant with us. Though the world may come against us- it is in the name of Jesus Christ that we have the victory. We may not understand everything that is going on in the world today, but one thing we must understand and believe is that those that bear the name of Jesus Christ should have a life full of the celebration of praise for being delivered out of the darkness of this world and brought into His marvelous light-and "once we were not a people but now are the people of God, who have not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2, 9, 10
A place for the Name of the Lord. Is your heart a place for His name? Is your life an altar on which you offer up a continual daily sacrifice to the Lord? If it is then you should be celebrating the freedom that was granted to you when you were brought out of the darkness of the world into Christ's marvelous light! Even though life may be difficult and hard at times, our lives should still be one of celebration and praise for all that God has done for us through the Name of Jesus Christ! Many hate that name-but I am not ashaned of that name-Jesus Christ. It is the name by which I am saved and delivered from the bondage of sin. And it is by that name that I have eternal life. I will not fear what man can do to me because that name- Jesus Christ- has the final say!
The Lord said in verse two that He would choose a place where He could put His name. The Lord specifically chose the place to put His name! In the Old Testament, God chose places to put His name. After Jesus Christ's sacrificial death which paid the penalty for mankind's sin, God chose people on whom He could put His name . He chose us! He chose to put His name in and on us! We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. (1 Peter 2:9). We, those of us who have put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, those of us who have committed our lives to Him and follow in His ways---we have the name of the Lord stamped on our hearts.
The word "sacrifice" in that verse of course means the offering up of a life. And the altar was the place where that sacrifice was to be offered. The Lord had great specifics that the Hebrews had to obey in regards to their life and worship. Today it is the same. Though we don't sacrifice animals today, our lives should be that altar where a continual sacrifice is offered up to the Lord. As we offer up our lives as a living sacrifice daily and constantly, He leads and guides us. We are the place where God puts His name.
We should be doing everything in His name- the name of Jesus Christ. We are baptized in the lovely name of Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves up to Him daily and constantly in the lovely name of Jesus Christ, we pray in that lovely name-- the name of Jesus Christ.
I write the name Jesus Christ-- because there are many "names" today that people have taken as their "god". But the Bible says in Acts 4:12 that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." It is the name of Jesus Christ that God desires to place on the hearts of men today. But we can only come to that by His name- at that altar-- our hearts. He had a pattern back in the Old Testament for the building of the Tabernacle and a pattern for how the people should live. Today it is no different. He still has a pattern- and it is the name of Jesus Christ.
The Christian life should be a continual celebration of freedom and a memorial to the establishment of God's covenant with us through Jesus Christ. He CHOSE to put His name on us. We are the sanctuary not made by man, but by God! (Hebrew 9:11) How exciting! We should be the most joyful of people. Though we go through trials and tribulations, our life is still a celebration of God's covenant with us. Though the world may come against us- it is in the name of Jesus Christ that we have the victory. We may not understand everything that is going on in the world today, but one thing we must understand and believe is that those that bear the name of Jesus Christ should have a life full of the celebration of praise for being delivered out of the darkness of this world and brought into His marvelous light-and "once we were not a people but now are the people of God, who have not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2, 9, 10
A place for the Name of the Lord. Is your heart a place for His name? Is your life an altar on which you offer up a continual daily sacrifice to the Lord? If it is then you should be celebrating the freedom that was granted to you when you were brought out of the darkness of the world into Christ's marvelous light! Even though life may be difficult and hard at times, our lives should still be one of celebration and praise for all that God has done for us through the Name of Jesus Christ! Many hate that name-but I am not ashaned of that name-Jesus Christ. It is the name by which I am saved and delivered from the bondage of sin. And it is by that name that I have eternal life. I will not fear what man can do to me because that name- Jesus Christ- has the final say!
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