Shall we have a further word of prayer?
Lord we thank you for guiding us unto
thyself.
Once more we confess our need of you.
Because without you we can do nothing.
Without you we are nothing.
But we thank you.
Your desire is for all of us to
live such a life that is acceptable in
your sight.
We thank you for such grace.
We thank you for such calling.
We thank you for such good will to
all your people.
We worship you.
God is good.
And we have tested that indeed he is
good.
And tonight we pray that you enlarge our
vision of yourself.
Create in us a real longing for you.
We place ourselves at your mercy.
Lord bless your people.
Not for our sake, but for your glory's
sake.
In your precious name we pray.
Shall we turn to 1 Peter chapter 2?
We'll read verse 5.
You also, as living
stones, are being built up a spiritual house,
a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ.
You also, as living stones, are being built
up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to
offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.
And let's turn to Ephesians chapter 1.
And we'll read from verse 3 to verse
6.
Blessed be the God and the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ.
Just as he chose us in him before
the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in
love.
Just as he chose us in him before
the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in
love.
To the praise of the glory of his
grace, by which he made us accepted in
the Beloved.
To the praise of the glory of his
grace, by which he made us accepted in
the Beloved.
Now I want to take the liberty to
read this passage from a different translation.
Now I want to take the liberty to
read this passage from a different translation.
As a new living literal translation.
So the language is very plain.
Very language is very plain and easy to
catch the thought that's behind it.
So the language is very plain and easy
to catch the thought that's behind it.
So please listen carefully.
Long ago, even before he made the world,
God loved us and chose us in Christ
to be holy without fault in his eyes.
God loved us and chose us in Christ
to be holy without fault in his eyes.
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt
us into his own family by bringing us
to himself through Jesus Christ.
And this gives him great pleasure.
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt
us into his own family by bringing us
to himself through Jesus Christ.
So we praise God for the wonderful kindness
he has poured out on us because we
belong to him or we belong to his
dear Beloved Son.
Now, that's all the scriptures we'll read for
now.
From these few verses we find in the
book Ephesians, we come to a very clear
conclusion what was really in God's heart before
the creation of man.
Before he worked, he already had
a plan.
And this plan for man, man was created
for the purpose so that man would be
acceptable in his sight.
Now, I think I have to repeat that
one more time.
Man was created for the purpose of being
accepted by God.
Because God, whatever God creates, must be good.
What God creates must be according to his
good will.
And therefore, what he created must be acceptable
in his sight.
And so before man's creation, God already determined
that he will have a people, that he
will put them in Christ Jesus, so that
they will be holy without blame before him
in love.
And so in God's creation, of all things,
in man he has his highest thought for
them.
So when God said, let us make man,
according to our image and according to our
likeness, God is saying, this man I am
about to create will be acceptable to me.
That is God's intention for each man that
he created.
God never wants us to be unacceptable to
him.
That is not God's thought.
We are unacceptable to him is because of
our own undoing.
We are being accepted and accepted as we
are now is not because of God's fault.
It is our own fault.
God's intention for man is that man should
be acceptable to him in his sight.
God's intention for man is that man should
be acceptable to him and to his son.
So brothers and sisters, this we have to
determine.
God never intended us to sin.
And for us to be acceptable in his
sight, we find in the book of Genesis.
Once man was created, they were brought in
front of that tree of life.
God is telling man, your acceptance by
me is depending on this tree of life.
This tree of life is the key of
your acceptance by me and you are being
acceptable to me.
And that is why immediately after man was
created, God offered his very life to man.
Because God's life is our way to being
accepted.
God's life is God's way for our being
acceptable in his sight.
Because God's life is the only way for
us to be accepted by God and to
be pleased by him.
So we can see from the first chapter
of the book of Ephesians.
So before the foundation, God's thought was that
we should be holy, blameless before him in
love.
And for us to be accepted by him
and be acceptable to him, God placed us
in Christ Jesus.
Because in God's sight, there is only one
person who is perfectly acceptable in his sight.
And that is his beloved son, our Lord
Jesus Christ.
And so for him to accept us and
for us to be acceptable to him, God
placed us in Christ Jesus.
Now I want to read another verse.
It's 1 Corinthians 1.30. Now I'm going
to read this from the New Literal Translation.
So you listen carefully.
God alone made it possible for you to
be in Christ Jesus.
I'll read it again.
God alone made it possible for you to
be in Jesus Christ.
Only God can make it possible for us
to be in Christ Jesus.
Only God can make it possible for us
to be in Christ Jesus.
This is God's doing, placing us in Christ
Jesus.
And once we are in Christ Jesus, he
is the one who made us acceptable to
God.
He is the one who made us acceptable
to God.
I think these few thoughts I want to
share with you are very important.
Only God alone has the power and the
love to put us in Christ Jesus.
Only God alone has the power and the
love to put us in Christ Jesus.
Because only Christ, he is the one who
can make us acceptable to God.
So brothers and sisters, the standard for our
being accepted and for our being acceptable to
him is all in Christ Jesus.
So apart from Christ, God accepts nothing.
God only accepts that which is of his
son.
Because he wants to accept us, therefore he
gives us his son or he places us
in his son.
Now that is God's thought for all of
us.
There is no thought higher than this thought.
There is no thought more precious, more dear
to us than this thought.
But unfortunately man makes himself unacceptable to God.
By not listening to God's word, unbelief makes
us unacceptable to him.
Believing in him makes us acceptable in his
sight.
And being unacceptable to him is not his
fault, it is our own doing.
But God will not give man up.
Because he created man to be acceptable to
him.
And thank God for that unchanging will of
his.
So after Adam sinned against God, God will
not give up our first parents.
Because when they make themselves unacceptable to God,
of course it was their shame, it was
their loss.
But the loss to God is bigger than
the loss to man.
Because man was created to be acceptable in
his sight.
And so when man becomes unacceptable, it was
a big loss to God.
Of course it is our loss as well.
And because of his love, because of his
unchanging will toward man, in their shameful loss
condition, God sought them out.
So God walked in the cool of the
day and asked Adam, where are you?
Where are you?
So if we trace the history of man
in the Bible, from beginning to the end,
the one work that God is doing is
to restore man so that man can be
acceptable to God's heart.
Because that's God's pleasure.
That will give God delight.
And therefore God never gives man up.
And fortunately we give ourselves up.
So right in the Garden of Eden, God
sought Adam out.
Now you know, so Adam and Eve, they
tried to cover up their shame.
Now the reason why we cover our shame
is that we hope somehow in our own
doing, God will accept us.
But it's not accessible to God.
And so we find in the scripture, right
there after they fell, and we read that
God clothed our first parents with animal skin.
So the covering of their shame was provided
by God, not their own provision.
So God is saying to us, to cover
our shame and to find a way back
to God, that way alone must be provided
by God himself.
And so God clothed our first parents with
the animal skin.
On one hand, it covered their shame.
On the other, it's hinting to us, for
their approach to God in the right way,
they had to rely on another life other
than themselves.
Because we are now unacceptable.
We need another life that is acceptable to
God, to cover our shame and to be
in us, the acceptability to God.
And that's what we find in the offering
of Abel.
Now the emphasis of the offering of Abel
is not so much of our sins being
forgiven.
The emphasis of Abel's offering is not so
much of our sins being forgiven, but our
acceptance before a holy God.
The emphasis of Abel's offering is not so
much of our sins being forgiven, but what
he offers before a holy God is acceptable
to God.
So would you tell me to Genesis chapter
4?
We'll read verse 3 and verse 4 and
5.
Genesis 4, 3, 4, 5.
And in the process of time, it came
to pass that Cain brought an offering of
the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock
and of their fat, and the Lord respected
Abel in his offering.
For now we'll just read up to verse
4.
Now let's read verse 4 one more time.
Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock
and of their fat, and the Lord respected
Abel in his offering.
Now brothers, this is the first mention of
a sacrifice.
But it's interesting to notice this, that in
this sacrifice no blood was mentioned.
But fat is mentioned.
We know for sure you cannot offer an
animal and the fat without that animal being
killed.
On the other hand, there is no true
acceptance in God's sight unless sin has been
dealt with.
But in God's heart, the emphasis, what is
dear to Him, is not so much our
sins forgiven, but is our acceptance to Him.
Now with us, our sins forgiven is very
important.
But with God, our acceptance is mere more
important than our sins forgiven.
With us, forgiveness is the end.
We achieve our goal.
But with God, forgiveness is just the process
of us being accepted in His sight.
And with us, God forgives you and forgives
me.
It's not that we are forgiven and that's
it.
But in the end, the purpose of our
sins being forgiven is our acceptance in His
sight.
And so, Barnes, we read here that Abel
offered that animal and fat and the Lord
had respect of Abel in the sacrifice.
So Barnes, the sacrifice, the emphasis here is
not so much for sin to be forgiven,
but our acceptance before a holy God.
So the sacrifice here is not so much
for sin to be forgiven, but our acceptance
before a holy God.
Forgiveness meets our needs, but acceptance meets the
heart of God of love.
Now I want to touch just a little
bit on the offering of Cain.
Now Cain's offering was rejected.
Now I'm sure we all know that he
just offered, what do you think is the
best to God?
And that is the work of his own
hand.
And the fruit of this cursed world.
Cain's thought is that God should accept what
he offers.
Because in his own estimation, what he offered
to God was good enough for God.
Because in his own estimation, what he offered
to God was good enough for God.
But without realizing, his standard of goodness and
God's standard of goodness are so far apart.
But without realizing, his standard of goodness and
God's standard of goodness are so far apart.
Now even though he offered a wrong offering,
the offering that God cannot accept, Even though
he offered a wrong offering, the offering that
God cannot accept, God did not give him
up either.
God came and talked to Cain.
Now we can read verse 5 and verse
6 and verse 7.
Now we can read verse 5 and verse
6 and verse 7.
But God did not respect Cain and his
offering, and Cain was very angry and his
countenance failed.
But God did not respect Cain and his
offering, and Cain was very angry and his
countenance failed.
Now you know, God could at this point
just say, forget about it.
You did the wrong thing.
You make yourself unacceptable to me.
So that's it.
And God was perfectly right about it.
That's right.
So God can just turn his face away
from Cain and say, and that's it.
But love always walks off the external line.
Okay, so we read verse six.
God spoke first.
God said to Cain, why are you angry
and why has your countenance fallen?
Now if you do well, will you not
be accepted?
If you do not do well, sin lies
at the door and its desire is for
you.
But you should rule over it.
Now there is another version I want to
read about this passage.
The Lord said, why are you so angry
and why do you look dejected?
The Lord said to Cain, why do you
look so angry and why do you feel
dejected?
And then God said more.
He said, you will be accepted if you
respond the right way.
If you refuse to respond correctly, then
watch out.
Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you.
God said, you will be accepted if you
respond the right way.
Now Abel somehow responded the right way.
And somehow Cain don't caught on to the
right way and he resorted to doing his
own way.
Now both children, they belong to the same
parents.
They saw their parents.
They saw their parents' clothing.
They knew that their parents' clothing were not
their own provision, were God's provision.
And somehow through God's provision of their clothing,
they can cover their shame.
Now when shame is covered, that is a
ground for us to approach God.
So the covering of us is for approach.
Now there is a brother, he put it
in a very beautiful way.
He said, God always gives light for faith
to act upon.
Let me repeat it again.
God always gives light for faith to act
upon.
Now for example, how are we saved?
How are we saved by the Lord?
What is the ground for our faith to
act upon?
It is somehow through the Holy Spirit we
see that we are sinners.
But that is not all.
That is by the preparation.
But ultimately Holy Spirit show us the Savior.
Because in Him there is true deliverance.
And when we see God's provision, that we
can be saved by the finish of the
Lord Jesus, we act upon that.
Our faith acts upon that.
Then we are saved.
God gives light to us that we are
sinners.
Without divine light, none of us would admit
we are sinners.
Also that divine light show us Christ is
the way.
And so faith acts upon the light that
is given to us.
So in my thinking, Abel acts upon that
light.
But Cain refused to act upon that light.
Cain thought that his way is just as
good as God's way.
But his way was the way of rejection.
And Abel's way was the way of acceptance.
Because in Christ there is forgiveness.
Because Christ is our deliverer.
Christ is our sanctification.
Christ is our acceptance before God.
And so Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's
offering was rejected.
And so the heart of the gospel is
not so much our sins forgiven.
The heart of the gospel is for our
acceptance.
God pays such a price.
It is not just to forgive us.
He pays that price to gain us for
himself.
So Abel's offering was for
acceptance.
Because God was pleased.
Because he knew what was in that heart.
It is to gain him, not what he
can offer up to him.
So that is very important.
Now in our experience as the Lord's people,
his work with us.
Now there are two sides.
Our new birth is for our acceptance.
But our consecration is for his acceptance.
Now to me that is very crucial.
Now in our experience, in our spiritual experience,
we know we are all accepted.
But we have to be honest.
Not all of us live a life that
is acceptable to him.
So that is what the Lord is really
after.
Our total acceptable to him.
Now I am just going to have an
overview of some of the books we find
in the Bible.
Now we will not go into those specific
chapters or verses.
And just have an overview.
Exodus, the first fifteen chapters of Exodus is
for our acceptance.
Just like the Book of Romans, from chapter
one to chapter eleven is for our acceptance.
So if you read some of these more
contemporary translations, for example the word justification, or
the word of reconciliation, they translate as we
are now acceptable to him.
We are justified because we are
now acceptable to him.
We are accepted before him.
And then from chapter twelve onward, it is
all about our being acceptable to him.
Because to know what is acceptable to him,
we need to live a consecrated life.
So let us look at those two verses
we find in Romans twelve.
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.
And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, and you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Now being accepted and being acceptable, are the
two ends of one thing.
From this end is our being accepted.
But the other end is our being acceptable.
But between accepted and being acceptable, there is
a process.
Suppose we are wrong in that process.
But we are now in that process.
We are not in the midst of that
process, but within the two ends.
That's right.
We know we are now accepted.
And God is working in us to make
us acceptable to him in the end.
When we are acceptable to him, then God's
heart will be delighted.
That will give pleasure to his heart.
Because we are all created to be acceptable
in his sight.
So the first fifteen chapters of the book
of Exodus, those chapters are for our
being accepted.
But from chapter twenty-five onward, it is
for our being acceptable in his sight.
Because from chapter twenty-five on, we see
there's a people that are consecrated totally to
the Lord.
They offer themselves up to God for God
to work that acceptability into them.
And from chapter twenty-five onward, all the
furnitures, all the utensils, everything about the tabernacle,
to be acceptable to God, everything must be
done according to the pattern.
And so we see here, God's standard for
acceptance is none other than Christ himself.
Everything must conform to him.
Anything less than himself, God will not accept.
And so at the end of the book
of Exodus, and when everything was finished, all
the work was finished, all the works were
finished, now you notice Moses examined each piece
of those furniture, everything in detail, and he
examined thoroughly.
Make sure everything is according to what God
revealed to him on the mountain.
There's no deviation.
It must be exactly the way Moses saw
it on that mountain.
And thank God when Moses examined each piece
of those furniture, he found them perfectly patterned,
that pattern he saw on the mountain.
And after Moses put them all together, and
he sprinkled blood, and he sprinkled oil, it
cleansed.
And the Holy Spirit came in.
The Holy Spirit is represented by the oil.
The Holy Spirit cannot come to us unless
there's something corresponding to Christ.
And so when everything was put in place,
God's glory filled that tabernacle.
Now how do we know that was acceptable
to God?
The glory of God was there.
So when there's true acceptability before God, you
see God's glory.
Because what is acceptable to God reflects what
God longs for.
So after the tabernacle was erected, and God's
presence came down and filled that place.
And we were told that the priests could
not even enter into the tabernacle to minister.
Because when God is truly satisfied, there's no
more work to be done.
If God is happy, it means the work
is done.
And that is what God is looking for.
Whether it is spiritual house, or spiritual priesthood,
or a sacrifice that we offer, they must
be all through Christ.
They must be Christ.
And God's glory will fill that place.
Now that's not the end.
So let's look at Leviticus.
Now the temple was all in place now.
I mean the tabernacle is now properly fitted
together.
And God comes in and took His residence
in that tabernacle.
Now we heard this morning, our brother shared,
God's heart is to dwell among His people.
And so when everything was properly fitted together
according to the Heavenly pattern, God comes in
and takes up His residence.
Now God takes His abode now in the
tabernacle.
And Leviticus, God is calling people to come
to commune with Him and to offer sacrifices
acceptable in His sight.
So let's read those couple of verses, chapter
1 of Leviticus.
Now we find God is with His people
now.
He is now dwelling in their midst.
And now God speaks to them.
Not from heaven, not from Mount Sinai, but
right in their midst.
Not from heaven, not from Mount Sinai, but
right in their midst.
Dear brothers and sisters, if God can speak
to us in our midst, that is such
a blessing.
That is a great blessing.
Now the Lord called to Moses and spoke
to him from the tabernacle of the meeting.
Now He is not speaking from a distance.
He is speaking right in the midst of
His people.
He is not speaking from a distance.
He is speaking right in the midst of
His people.
And He said, speak to the children of
Israel and say to them, when anyone of
you brings an offering to the Lord, you
shall bring your offering of the livestock, of
the herd and of the flock.
Now we find there are people now that
are acceptable to Him.
Now we find there are people now that
are acceptable to Him.
When we are fully acceptable to Him, then
we can offer sacrifices that are acceptable in
His sight.
So we can see here that the offerer
is more important than His offerings.
I have to confess.
When I was reading the two books, the
book of Leviticus and the book of Numbers,
when I was reading the two books, the
book of Leviticus and the book of Numbers,
I have to confess that I have to
readjust my understanding of these two books.
Because God is now in the midst of
His people.
And He is calling them to offer sacrifices
that will be acceptable in His sight.
And He is calling them to offer sacrifices
that will be acceptable in His sight.
What could be more beautiful than that?
But when you read through these two books,
there are many chapters devoting to cleansing and
purification and all those things.
And what we can eat, what we cannot
eat.
What we can do, what we cannot do.
So when I read those two chapters, we
already found ourselves in that perfect place of
relationship with the Lord Himself.
He is already in our midst.
We are made acceptable before Him.
And He even speaks to us.
He says, now offer, offer up sacrifices that
will please Me.
And yet, many chapters devoted to the cleansing,
the purifying.
And what not to do, what not to
eat.
So brothers and sisters, there is a lesson
here.
We can never be more acceptable than we
are already accepted or acceptable as the Lord
Jesus Christ before God.
Let me say this again.
We can never be more acceptable to God
than the acceptableness that is ours in Christ
Jesus.
We can never be more acceptable to God
than the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can never be more acceptable to God
than the Lord Jesus Christ before God.
But brothers and sisters, we have to say,
we have a choice.
We may choose to be less acceptable to
God.
That is our problem.
We can never be more acceptable to God
in Christ.
There is no one who can surpass the
acceptability of Christ.
But we all have the option to become
less than what we ought to be in
His sight.
And we all have that tendency.
Because we are living in an acceptable world.
And we are easily to go the way
of the world.
We are easily to pollute ourselves again.
We are easily fallen from where we ought
to be.
And so the chapters devoted to cleansing and
purification and all these things is simply to
maintain, to keep us, maintain us in that
state of acceptability before Him.
So brothers, we need His cleansing.
We need His purification.
We need to live a separated life.
Because that is the way we can be
kept from being polluted.
Because our being acceptable to Him is so
precious in His sight.
Because if we lose that, it is also
His loss.
So God wants to preserve that for Him.
Therefore He is doing all those things for
us to maintain in that state of acceptability.
So we can come to one conclusion.
Our being acceptable to Him is more important
to Him than to us.
And that's why He goes to all the
details to keep us and to make us
always acceptable in His sight.
Now I'll just touch a little bit that
we all need to grow in the Lord.
Now especially in the Book of Numbers, it
is their journeying from the wilderness into the
Promised Land.
They move from station to station.
Progressively they move toward the Promised Land.
Along the way, the Lord's hand was heavy
on them.
On many occasions.
To expose their flesh.
If the flesh is not exposed, there is
no true deliverance.
So when our flesh is being exposed, it
is not for Him to condemn us, it
is for Him to deliver us from it.
So that we can maintain that state of
acceptability before Him.
And so we find all the dealings of
God along the way.
Now that we can take that and apply
on ourselves.
Now the journey is for our growth.
It is for making us more acceptable to
Him along the way.
Now therefore dealings are necessary.
So why all the dealings?
Why all the breakdowns?
And why all the emptying?
It is simply to make room for Christ.
That's right.
So the more Christ in us guides, there
will be a greater measure of acceptability to
Him.
So if Christ increases in us, then for
God, we will have more stability and more
acceptance.
So brothers and sisters, now we see why
we have to deal with these things.
So growth is not only for us, but
also for His joy.
And to one chapter is very meaningful to
me recently.
Would you turn to the book of Numbers?
Chapter 7.
We'll read from verse 1.
Now it came to pass, when Moses had
finished setting up the tabernacle, that he anointed
it and consecrated it, and all its furnishings,
and the altars, and all the utensils, so
he anointed them and consecrated them.
Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of
the fathers' houses, who were leaders of the
tribes, and over those who were numbered, made
an offering.
And they brought their offering before the Lord.
Six covered carts, and twelve oxen, a cart
for every two of the leaders, and for
each one an ox.
And they presented them before the tabernacle.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Accept
this from them, that they may be used
in doing the work of the tabernacle of
meeting.
And you shall give them to the Levites,
to every man according to his service.
Then we'll read verse 10.
Now the leaders offered dedication offering for the
altar, when it was anointed.
So the leaders offered their offerings before the
altar.
For the Lord said to Moses, They shall
offer their offering one liter each day, for
dedication of the altar.
And the one who offered his offering on
the first day was Nashon, the son of
Minadad, of the tribe of Judah.
His offering was one silver platter, the weight
of which was 130 shekels, and one silver
gold, or 70 shekels, according to the shekel
of the sanctuary.
Both of them four or five flowers mixed
with oil as green offering.
In verse 14, one gold pan, ten shekels,
full of incense.
Now this chapter is one of the longest
chapters.
And the same thing repeated twelve times.
Each day the same thing offered.
Exactly repeated, repeated for twelve days.
Now why would the Holy Spirit take such
a detailed thing to cover all those twelve
days?
And since they were offering, why didn't they
just say, for twelve days they offer all
these things?
Now, because it repeats twelve times, it must
be very important to God.
Now, with us, it's very monotonous.
But with God, there's a real purpose behind
it.
But with God, there's a real purpose behind
it.
OK.
Now, when they offer all these things, they
were not prescribed by the Lord.
But their hearts will move.
They give voluntarily.
For instance, sometimes we want to wait until
what is prescribed and we offer.
But there are times when we are so
moved by God, we offer lovingly.
And so, when they offer all these gifts,
the Lord, through Moses, accepts.
So, Father, sometimes you don't have to wait
until it's prescribed and then you offer.
But if there's true love, there's always willingness
to offer anything that will satisfy God.
So, if there's love, you don't have to
wait until God asks and then you offer.
So, when He did not ask, somehow in
love we get, that touches His heart.
And so, God, through Moses, accepts.
Now, it's not a small thing for God
to accept an offering from us.
It is not a small thing for God
to accept something from us.
So, it's a big thing.
OK, I'll just share a couple of things.
Silver vessels.
Now, the size of the vessel was not
mentioned.
But the weight was mentioned.
God satisfies what's real in us when we
offer that back to Him.
It is not the volume that we offer,
but it is the quality that we offer.
So, silver speaks of redemption.
So, what is of redemption is acceptable to
God.
And, of course, we know the silver must
be purified.
And also, after purification, it must be shaped
to be a vessel, proper vessel.
And that's what God is doing with all
of us.
We are all redeemed.
But the process of making us acceptable to
Him, we need to go through the process.
We need to be purified.
We need to be refined.
And we need to be formed into the
proper vessel that can give Him the glory.
That's what God is looking for.
We may not all go to be Levites.
We may not all be called to be
Levites.
But in love, we can all offer something
that's acceptable in His sight.
And God treasures that.
And so we find this chapter, all these
12 days, the same thing mentioned.
Why repeat 12 times?
Because they are very important in God's sight.
May we all be those vessels in His
hand.
Because the vessel is more important than the
things that we offer up to Him.
The vessel is more important than the things
that we offer up to Him.
What He wants is the name and not
what we can do for Him.
If the name is right, then the content
inside is also right.
So, my fellow disciples, what they offer will
not be prescribed in the Scripture.
What they offer will not be prescribed by
the law of Moses.
But out of their love, pure love for
God, God says, accept.
But God is not after we do so
much for Him.
He is after our heart.
If the heart is right, all the other
things are right.
If the heart is wrong, nothing is right.
And so we find in the book of
Leviticus, in the book of Numbers, all the
dealings, all the purifications, all the cleansing, all
the things that we need to avoid, it
is to keep us in a state that
we can be acceptable in His sight.
And this acceptableness must be on the constant
increase.
Because when we come to the 28th chapter
of the book of Numbers, because they are
besides the regular offerings, they are all the
additional, additional, additional offerings.
So the more Christ we have, the more
we have Christ to offer back to God.
And that is what God is after.
So my sisters, we are created for the
purpose of being acceptable to Him.
And He will not accept anything less than
that.
And that's why He is dealing with us.
To reduce us.
As for His increase.
So that Christ may be all in all.
And when Christ is all in all, then
we will be fully acceptable in His sight.
Let me just share a couple of verses
of scripture if I may.
Galatians 4 These are some very
familiar verses.
Galatians 4.19 Galatians 4.19 My
little children, for whom I labor in birth
again, until Christ is formed in you.
What was the object of Paul's ministry?
You know, I know some workers.
The size of their gathering is very important
to them.
So to them, their success or their being
acceptable in God's sight is measured by the
size of the gathering.
But that was not Paul's way.
Paul's ministry, Paul's offering of himself in the
work of God is to, as we read
here, that until Christ may be formed in
you.
Put it in the way we are sharing
tonight.
Paul has the heart of God.
Paul wants those who minister to Christ, they
will be acceptable in God's sight.
But is that the object of our love
for the Lord?
Let's look at another verse.
Galatians 1 and verse 28 and
29 Galatians 1 Paul said, Christ we
preach, warning every man and teaching every man
in all wisdom that we may present every
man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Paul's ministry always has God's end in view.
That's why he said, I want to make
everybody, present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
My teaching, my warning is to make you
perfect in Christ Jesus.
We have a God's standard for all of
us.
That is God's standard for all of us.
Without that, God will not accept.
His standard is absolute.
And then, 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse
2 the last half that I may present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Paul's ministry is governed by what God wants
for Himself.
Because Paul wants to serve in such a
way that the fruit of his labor will
be acceptable in God's sight.
Now, that could be applied to our local
gathering.
It could be applied to our individual growth.
Why do we grow?
It's for to be acceptable in His sight.
Why do we gather when we gather?
Because we want our gathering to be acceptable
to Him.
If He cannot accept, it is shame to
us.
May the Lord have mercy on us.
And finally, Ephesians 5 verse 27 If
we are all faithful to God, whether individually
or corporately, whatever we do, we have this
desire to satisfy His heart.
Whatever we do will be found acceptable in
His sight.
And in the end, we'll find this in
chapter 5 of Ephesians verse 27 The end
of our sacrifice, the end of our work,
the end of our love for Him, for
each other, is that He may sanctify, is
that He may present Herself to Himself.
A glorious Church without having such wrinkle or
such thing.
But She should be holy without blemish.
Because it's all unto Him.
It's all for Him.
And so in the end, He may present
Her to Himself.
A corporate bride that's perfectly acceptable to
Him.
So brothers and sisters, this is what we
for tonight.
I think it is enough.
And if the Lord willing, Thursday morning, we'll
share the ways that we can be acceptable
to Him.
Because what He wants, He also provides the
way.
And thank God for that.
So let's pray.
Father, we thank You for Your presence with
us.
We have to confess human words are so
inadequate.
We pray that You'll speak beyond human words.
And speak to the depths of our hearts.
We pray that after this week, we'll come
to discover that we are all made to
be acceptable to You.
And may we be willing to give ourselves
totally to Him.
That You may accomplish Your work.
In the end, Your heart will be satisfied.
We give You all the praise.
We know the good work which You have
begun.
And we know one day, You will surely
accomplish it.
And we give You all the glory.
In Christ's name we pray.