Sermon #8                                                  Leviticus Sermons

 

     Title:       The Peace Offerings

     Text:       Leviticus 3:1-17

     Subject:  The Law of the Peace Offerings

     Date:       Sunday Morning – May 6, 2001

     Tape #    W-39b

 

Readings:     Leviticus 3:1-17 and 7:11-21, 29-34

 

[Leviticus 3]  "And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. [2] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. [3] And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, [4] And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. [5] And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

 

[6] And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. [7] If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD. [8] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar. [9] And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, [10] And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. [11] And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.

 

[12] And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD. [13] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. [14] And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, [15] And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. [16] And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S. [17] It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood."

 

[Leviticus 7:11-21]  "And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. [12] If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. [13] Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. [14] And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. [15] And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. [16] But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: [17] But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. [18] And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. [19] And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. [20] But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. [21] Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people."

 

[Leviticus 7:29-34]  "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. [30] His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD. [31] And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. [32] And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. [33] He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part. [34] For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel."

 

Introduction:

 

Three years ago (in May 1998) the Associated Press wire service ran a sad, tragic story that was picked up by newspapers and television news rooms across the nation. Some of you may remember the event.

 

     Phil Hartman and his wife, Brynn, to all appearances, had everything. He was 49, -- a famous comedian (Saturday Night Live and NewsRadio). She was 40, -- a stunningly beautiful and successful fashion model. They had two children, a boy and a girl, aged 9 and 6. They were, according to family and friends, a loving, happy family. Why shouldn’t they be? They had oodles of money, a new boat, their own airplane, a multi-million dollar mansion, fancy cars, everything everyone wants.

 

     In fact, Phil Hartman said to a friend a short while earlier, “I have a plane. I have a boat. I have a great house. I have a great family. In fact, I have everything I ever wanted. It feels great.” -- It soon became obvious to everyone that something was missing.

 

     At about 2:00 A.M. on Thursday morning of that week, Brynn Hartman shot and killed her husband; then, sometime later, while the police were entering her house to investigate, she shot and killed herself.

 

What happened?

 

What happened? Why would a woman who, measuring by the world’s standards, had everything, kill her husband and herself? What was missing? What made he do such a thing? We have no way of knowing the detailed answers to such questions. Who can explain murder and suicide? But this much is obvious. -- Brynn Hartman was deeply troubled. Her money, her success, her fame, her luxurious house, her lavished lifestyle, all proved to be utterly meaningless. They did not and could not satisfy her. There was a need in her life they could not fill.

 

     What Brynn Hartman did not have was peace. She had no peace. When all the things money can buy and the world can give proved to be empty bubbles, she turned to alcohol and drugs. But still she was utterly distraught within. At last, she murdered her husband I his sleep, committed suicide, and robbed her children of their parents, their home, and happiness.

 

     What a sad, sad, tragic story! How often it has been repeated through the centuries! It ought to cause people to ask…

 

Where can I find peace?

 

How can you and I find real peace, -- true happiness and well-being? Where can we find wholeness and satisfaction? There are many common ways men and women seek the peace that is lacking in their lives. Here are three:

 

(1)  You could change your circumstances! You might trade in your wife or your husband for newer model. You might change jobs, start a new career, or move to a new town. Or you might try to make a little more money, trying to find peace and security by building up our assets.

 

(2)  If that doesn’t work or is infeasible, you might run away from your problem, or what appears to be your problem! That might include trying to drown your troubles in alcohol, or stupefying your mind with drugs, or literally running away from home if you are a teenager, running away from your husband or wife, abandoning your family, abandoning your children. How many have wrecked the lives of all who should have been dear to them, and wrecked their own lives, abandoning everything for their own happiness!

 

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(3)  And if that doesn’t work, you can always take the last option. -- Blame someone else. Find a good, expensive analyst who will tell you that all your troubles are someone else’s fault. Ideally, if you can get a good lawyer, you might even be able to sue your parents, or the school teachers, or both, who warped your personality by forcing you to change your shorts when you were a child.

 

     Any of these solutions might lead to a temporary relief from the stress and strain that you want to escape; but the relief is, at best, temporary. Sooner or later the new circumstances change, the stress returns, and the turmoil. – “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

 

     So where can we find peace? How can we find peace in a world of woe?

 

Leviticus 3

 

Turn with me to the often overlooked book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus begins with a description of five sacrifices that God ordained for the Israel. The sacrifices, of course, are pictures of our Lord Jesus Christ and the redemption he accomplished for us at Calvary, by the shedding of his blood. However, the sacrifices were also acts of worship.

 

Proposition: The poor, needy sinner came to God with the symbolic sacrifice God required and found in the sacrifice (symbolically) both acceptance with God by blood atonement and mercy, grace, and blessedness by the sacrifice.

 

Our Needs

 

Each of these sacrifices represented God’s provision for the deep needs of fallen men. Each one displayed different aspects of our Savior’s accomplishments at Calvary.

 

     We all need atonement, acceptance with God. That is what is represented in the burnt offerings described in chapter one. – The burnt offering pictured the acceptance of guilty sinners by the holy Lord God through the merits of Christ. God’s acceptance of his people is complete. He accepts us as a whole, all of us, all our parts. As the burnt offering was consumed by fire in its entirety, as the Lord Jesus Christ was accepted as our Substitute and consumed by fire in all his holy being, so we are accepted of God for Christ’s sake. Here a great, basic human need is met. – acceptance with God. The burnt offering declares, to every believing sinner,accepted in the Beloved!

 

     There is a second great need in the heart of man. Fallen man, being estranged and alienated from God has within his soul a desperate need of consecration to God. Man needs to give himself up to God. He strives to find ways of doing so; but there is no rest in his soul until he gives himself up entirely to God by faith in and devotion to Christ. That is what is portrayed in the meat offerings described in chapter two.

 

     Here we see man bringing back to God the very stuff of which we are made, our staple food, bread. This portrays the believer’s response to the mercy, love, and grace of God in Christ, the believer’s response to blood atonement. Just as our Savior gave himself to God entirely as our sin-atoning sacrifice, we give ourselves entirely to God in Christ. The meat offering is the believer coming to God by Christ, full of gratitude, saying, “I am not my own. I have been bought with the price of Christ’s precious blood. Henceforth I am God’s.” The meat offering says, with penitent heart…

 

“But drops of grief can ne’er repay

The debt of love I owe!

Here, Lord, I give myself away,

‘Tis all that I can do.”

·        The Old Testament Tithe

·        Giving

 

     Still there is another universal need in fallen men. We need peace, peace within, peace with one another, and peace with God. The fact is, men can never have peace within, or peace with one another (not really) until we have peace with God. That is what is portrayed in Leviticus three. Here the holy Lord God describes for us the ceremonial, highly symbolical, typical peace offerings, which (of course) portray Christ our peace.

 

     Here God answers the question, -- How can I find peace? The order in which these offerings are given is not arbitrary; each offering follows the one before it.

1st, Acceptance through Blood Atonement

2nd, Consecration to God

3rd, Peace

 

     Without question, believers, though redeemed by the blood of Christ and devoted to the will and glory of God, still live in a world of hurt. We are often caught up in temptations, trials and troubles. We must, as long as we live in this world, face and deal with trouble and persecution, famine and nakedness, peril and sword (as Paul says). Yet, in the midst of all these things, our Lord says, “My peace give I unto you.

 

     Let’s us look at Leviticus chapter three. I will do no more than give you an overview with some practical lessons in this message; but I believe I have a message that will, if blessed of God, help you through your day of adversity in this world.

 

One Way

 

As with the burnt offerings, the peace offerings could be either a calf, or a lamb, or a goat. The worshipper had to identify himself with the sacrifice. (Laying his hands upon the animal’s head he acknowledged his guilt, confessed his sins, and expressed his faith in God’s sacrifice for sin, the Lord Jesus Christ.) The innocent victim had to be slain – Slain by the Worshipper! The blood had to be sprinkled – Sprinkled by the Priest! In other words, there is only one way to God, the blood of Christ.

 

     We read the entire chapter earlier, so we will read just the last section now, beginning at verse twelve.

 

[Leviticus 3:12-17]  "And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD. [13] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. [14] And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, [15] And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. [16] And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S. [17] It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood."

 

Four Things

 

Let me show you four things about the peace offerings, four things that distinguish these from the other offerings.

 

I.       First, if you will look at the last part of verse 16 you will see what appears to be an unusual requirement. There we are told, All the fat is the Lord’s.”

 

What is the significance of that statement? In the burnt offering the entire animal was consumed in the fire. In the peace offering, God provides detailed instructions concerning the parts of the body that are to be burned. Then, in verse 16, we read: "All fat is the Lord's." Why?

 

     In our culture the word "fat" has negative connotations. Our ideal male and female forms are slender and thin. No one wants to be called "fat." But in most cultures and in most times, that has not been the case. Because most people in the history of the world lived in poverty, only the prosperous could become fat. Those who are a bit heavy tend to be those who are somewhat prosperous.

 

     I am told by our friends who have spent some time in Africa and New Guinea that this is the case. In those poor, tribal societies, if your wife looks like a fashion model, other men feel sorry for you. To call a child "very fat" is a great compliment to the parents. When a person attains a measure of wealth, his waistline almost always increases.

 

     In the Old Testament, the Jews had a similar attitude towards fat. In fact, the word "fat" is commonly used in the Bible in positive ways.

 

[Genesis 45:18]  "And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land."

 

     Here Pharaoh promised Joseph “the good of the land of Egypt and the fat of the land.” The "fat of the land" is the best of the land, the best produce of the land. Fat is represented abundance and prosperity.

 

[Numbers 18:12]  "All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee."

 

     The word "fat" doesn't appear in our English translation. But the word translated "best" by the NAS and "finest" by the NI is the same Hebrew word, "fat." Wine has no fat in it. But the "fat of the wine" is the best wine, the finest wine.

 

     This is why all fat belongs to the Lord; the fat represents that which is good, indeed, that which is best. James puts it this way.

 

[James 1:17]  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

 

     If we would enjoy peace in this world two things are essential.

 

A.    We must recognize that the singular source of all that is good is our God, and look to him alone for it.

 

·        All Saving Goodness –      (Eph. 1:3-6; 1 Cor. 1:30).

·        All Spiritual Goodness.

·        All Providential Goodness (Rom. 8:28).

·        All Eternal Goodness.

 

B.    Realizing that all we have comes from God and belongs to God, we must, with grateful, willing hearts, give all back to him again.

 

     If we would have peace in this world, we must recognize that there is nothing good in our lives except what comes from God. We do not deserve what we have. We have not earned what we have. All that we are and all that we have comes from our heavenly Father and rightfully belongs to him. It is God alone who makes us to differ from others (1 Cor. 4:7).

 

     This is a basic requirement for peace. If we try to hold onto what we have and protect ourselves from losing what we have, then the more we have the more we will fret and worry about it. If we can hold what we have (everything we have in this world) lightly, with confidence that God is sovereign, we will enjoy peace.

 

II.    Second, if you will turn to chapter seven (verses 15-18), you will see that the sacrifice of the peace offering had to be eaten.

 

In Leviticus 3:16 we are told that this peace offering was “a food offering.” Now, look at Leviticus 7:15-18. The sacrifice must be eaten.

 

[Leviticus 7:15-18]  "And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. [16] But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: [17] But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. [18] And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity."

 

     This is the only offering that was to be eaten by the one who brought it. Remember, the fat was given to God and burned on the altar. The breast and the right shoulder were given to the priest. The rest was to be eaten by the worshipper and could be shared with anyone who was ceremonially clean before the Lord. Surely, there is much to be gleaned from this. Here we see the Lord God himself, the Lord Jesus Christ our great High Priest, and the redeemed sinner all feeding together upon and finding satisfaction with the same thing, -- THE SACRIFICE! What a great, glorious, effectual sacrifice Christ is!

 

A.   It is the sin-atoning blood of Christ, and that alone, which gives satisfaction to the holy Lord God (“He is the propitiation for our sins!”).

 

[Zephaniah 3:17]  "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."

 

B.    The Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, finds satisfaction in his own sacrifice (Isa. 53:9-11; Heb. 12:2).

 

[Isaiah 53:9-11]  "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. [10] Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. [11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."

 

C.   Believing sinners find satisfaction in Christ, ever eating his flesh and drinking his blood by faith (Ps. 73:25-26; John 3:13-14; 6:48, 53-55; Ps. 17:15).

 

[Psalms 73:25-26]  "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. [26] My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

 

[John 4:13-14]  "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: [14] But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

 

[John 6:48]  "I am that bread of life."

 

[John 6:53-55]  "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed."

 

[Psalms 17:15]  "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."

 

D.   All who are clean before God feed upon the same sacrifice. – The Worshipper – The Priests – The Priests Sons

 

E.    Now, watch this. – The peace offering was to be eaten within two days.

 

1.     The worshipper could begin eating it on the day it was offered. – This is what that means. – Peace with God commences in the soul as soon as we apprehend the accomplishment of redemption by faith. The efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice does not wait for our faith. Thank God for that! But peace, soul satisfaction, commences when faith apprehends the efficacy of the sacrifice! – Peace comes to the soul when Christ, the Peace Offering is trusted (Rom. 5:1).

 

2.     All the sacrifice had to be eaten before the third day. Why? – The third day is resurrection day. – If we would have peace in this world, we must live by faith, ever feeding upon Christ, until our days in this world of woe are ended, until our change comes (Rom. 8:17-21, 28-39).

 

[Romans 8:17-21]  "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. [18] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. [19] For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. [20] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, [21] Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."

 

[Romans 8:28-39]  "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. [30] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. [31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? [32] He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? [33] Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. [34] Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. [37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. [38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 

III. Third, only those who stood clean before the Lord were allowed to eat the sacrifice (Lev. 7:20-21).

 

     If a person had any uncleanness upon him, he could not feast upon God’s sacrifice. But is not the Lord Jesus Christ a Fountain opened for the unclean? Is he not specifically said to be the Friend of sinners? Did he not come to save sinners? Most certainly he did. But the sinner who comes to God with his burnt-offering, (the blood of Christ), his meat-offering (the righteousness of Christ), and his peace-offering (the Lamb of God), is clean before the Lord. He has no uncleanness upon him!

 

IV.Fourth, I want you to turn to Leviticus 7:29-34. Here we see that the breast and the right shoulder were the priests portion.

 

[Leviticus 7:29-34]  "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. [30] His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD. [31] And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. [32] And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. [33] He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part. [34] For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel."

 

     The breast being the meat closest to the heart, speaks of affection, the love of God in Christ. The right shoulder represents both strength and majesty. The priest eats them both. What is the meaning of this?

 

     There is no peace for anyone in this world until he is enabled by the grace of God to believe, to trust, the Lord Jesus Christ, Zion’s glorious King and Priest, in whom alone all the love of God and all the omnipotence of the Almighty is found. He who is God our Savior is both God full of compassion, (“God is love!”) and the God of omnipotent ability, God mighty to save. Peace is found in trusting him!

 

[Psalms 62:3-4]  "How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. [4] They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah."

 

[Psalms 62:11-12]  "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. [12] Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy (love – compassion)."

 

     These two things are basic. If we would have peace, we must be convinced that he who is God our Savior is God full of compassion, One who loves us, and God almighty, One who is able to save! – Everything men might fear is under his total control!

 

Application:

 

Without this confidence in God our Savior, without this confidence in Christ, we are easily overwhelmed by our circumstances. We live in a world that seems out of control. How often men and women are brought into such straits that they think, “I just can’t take any more!” I suppose that is the way Brynn Hartman must have felt when she murdered her husband and committed suicide three years ago. Without God, without Christ, without faith in Christ, without hope, she tried to find peace in the most extreme way, by killing her husband and herself. How sad!

 

John and Betty Stam

 

Let me tell you about another couple. Here we will see a totally different reaction to far greater, more extreme stress than most of us can ever imagine.

 

     John and Betty Stam met in Bible college about 1930. They were both in their mid-twenties. Betty grew up in China. Her parents were missionaries there. She returned to China in 1931. John soon followed. In a little less than two years, in October 1933, they were married.

 

     Fourteen months later, communist insurgents under the command of Mao Tse Tung captured the town where John, Betty, and their infant child Helen lived. The Stams were arrested. Early on December 8, the soldiers discussed how they would kill baby Helen. A poor Chinese farmer stepped forward, pleading for the child's life. The soldiers replied, "Fine. We won't kill the child -- if you're willing to die in her place!" The farmer agreed. The soldiers shot and killed him.

 

     The next morning, the soldiers forced John and Betty to leave their house without Helen. They stripped the couple down to their underwear, and marched them through the town, mocking them. As a crowd formed, the Stams were sentenced to death. A Chinese doctor, until this time afraid to speak up, made a last-minute plea for their lives. The communists asked if he was a Christian. When he professed Christ as his Lord, they killed him. Then John and Betty were ordered to their knees. John was beheaded with a sword. Betty grabbed him to hold him and she too was beheaded.

 

     When Betty’s parents were informed of her death, they replied by telegraph to the staff of China Inland Mission: -- “Deeply appreciate your consolation. Sacrifice seems great, but not too great for Him who gave Himself for us. Experiencing God's grace. Believe wholeheartedly Romans 8:28.”

 

     Betty Stam's parents knew the truths of Romans 8 that we read earlier. They knew that no matter what the circumstances, even in death, we are "more than conquerors through him who loved us."

 

     Betty’s sister Helen, for whom the baby had been named, wrote to her bereaved parents: -- “Dearest Daddy and Mother, you don't need to hear me say how much we love you and are thinking of and praying for you in these days... I have such a radiant pictures of Betty and John standing with their palms of victory before the Throne, singing a song of pure joy…that I cannot break lose and cry about it as people expect. Crying seems to be too petty for a thing that was so manifestly in God's hands alone; but my heart is very, very sore for you.”

 

     It is this peace, the peace of God that passeth understanding that is set forth in the peace offerings. It is this peace that God gives to sinners, as we trust his Son and feed upon him. It is this peace, the peace that Christ gives, which the world can neither understand nor take away. May God be pleased to make it yours and mine, for Christ’s sake.

 

AMEN.