Embrace Worship: Sacrifice

We’ve arrived at another facet of worship that flows right out of last week’s offerings on the tabernacle’s burnt altar: sacrifice. On one hand, ‘offerings’ and ‘sacrifice’ can be used interchangeably – the animal laid upon that bronze altar was an offering to God, standing in as a sacrifice for the person. But today we’re going to split some hairs as we move from the outer courts where the bronze altar looms large and into the holy spaces of the tabernacle.

But before we leave the outer court, let’s look at connections between what remains outside and what lies within:

• Outside, the articles of the tabernacle are bronze – common, not pure, yet they serve holy purposes. Inside, the articles are gold – highly valued, rare, pure, holy (Revelation 21:21). 
• Outside, the courtyard is accessible by everyone. Inside, only the consecrated priests can go through the curtain and enter the Holy Place.
• Outside, no one is allowed to pass the bronze altar without making an offering of atonement, without the shedding of blood. Inside, no one can pass into the inner Most Holy Place without offering a sacrifice on a gold altar (Exodus 30:1-6,10). 
• Outside, the bronze altar burns a lamb twice everyday as ongoing offerings for sins of the people of God. Inside, the gold altar is ‘washed’ in the blood of a lamb once a year (Exodus 30:9-10).
• Outside, the fire of the bronze altar – originally ignited by God Himself (Leviticus 9:24) – is never allowed to be extinguished (6:12-13). Inside, the fire of the gold altar is lit every morning and every evening with coals from the bronze altar, coals that have been drenched in blood (Exodus 30:7-8, Leviticus 16:12-13).¹
• Outside, the smell of burning flesh is that of death. Inside, the aroma of the fragrant incense fills the Holy Place with the scent of God’s holiness (Exodus 30:34-38).

When we allow ourselves to ponder the components of ancient, old covenant worship and what they represented, we grow in our understanding and practice of worship today. We begin recognizing what it means to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. 

So, as we sacrifice at the altar of gold, we’ll marvel at how our connection with Jesus strengthens and our worship deepens. And as we see beyond the veil and into the actual throne room of God, our desire to enter into a life of consecration to the One and Only Holy Lord will ignite. 

Let Incense Arise

The second altar, the golden altar of incense, was strategically placed before the entrance of the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant and God’s presence dwelled – a place where no one entered except the high priest on the Day of Atonement each year. Allow your eyes to move from right to left as you peruse this diagram of the tabernacle – from accessible to limited accessibility to almost no access, from common to holy to the holiest of holies.

A most unique recipe of incense burned day and night in the Holy Place. Its smoke rose up to God – its scent a constant reminder of the holiness of the space. In the months before Jesus’ birth, the priest, Zechariah, was chosen to enter into the Holy Place and light that morning’s incense on the gold altar. And as he did, the worshipers outside prayed (Luke 1:8-10). 

King David made the same connection when he penned, “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2). Our prayers rise to God like incense! Our worship of God is a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15)! 

John’s glimpses into God’s heavenly throne room grant us a fuller picture of what the tabernacle, its articles, and its rituals represented. For instance, just as the earthly gold altar stood just on the other side of the curtain before God’s earthly seat, in heaven the gold altar is positioned near God’s actual throne. And upon the gold altar in heaven are found the bowls of incense that contain the prayers of God’s people; those prayers and the smoke rise to God (Revelation 8:3-4). 

Over and over again, heavenly scenes in Revelation depict for us the truest, purest worship – as angels and elders and living creatures continually fall upon the ground before God on His throne. Day and night, their praises are raised – just as the incense had been offered day and night on earth.¹ 

Even as I write these words, the music playing in the background cries out, “Day and night, night and day, let incense arise. YOU are worthy of it all!” And I weep because I now better understand the greater truths these ancient references to incense hold: that idea of coming to God with our worship – our prayer and our praises – all.the.time. We lift up our words, even as we fall on our faces, to God day and night, through good and bad – because He alone is worthy of such worship. Because we acknowledge His sheer and utter holiness.

Let incense arise.

A Fragrant Sacrifice

In his Gospel, John gives us another visual to consider as we dig into the idea of sacrificial worship: the day Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with fragrant oil (John 12:3-8). The words John employs aid our understanding of Mary’s worshipful actions: In front of family and Jesus’ disciples this woman interrupts the meal, falls before Jesus, pours a very expensive oil on His feet, and wipes it all with her hair – all eyes glued on her and Judas arguing her extravagant gift. It’s a moving scene that came to life for me when I watched its portrayal on The Chosen.² 

I finally saw what it cost Mary – financially, physically, emotionally. I felt the tension in the room. I saw the confusion and animosity on the people’s faces and in their words. I witnessed her outpouring of total devotion. And the fact that nothing stopped her from doing what her heart, mind, and spirit told her to do for Jesus wrecked me. 

How often do I hesitate to give Jesus my all because I worry what others will say?

How often do I fail to worship Jesus extravagantly because of the cost?

How often do I miss opportunities to express my love and gratitude to Jesus because I’m distracted, worried, complacent?

Mary shows us what it looks like to be a fragrant sacrifice for Jesus. There is no coming to Jesus wholeheartedly without cost. There is also no greater blessing than giving Jesus our all.³

Our Bodies, a Living Sacrifice

If John handed us a scene of sacrificial worship, Paul gifted us with word pictures to depict what “true and proper worship” looks like – that of “offering our bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). 

While it’s true that we no longer have to kill animals to atone for our sin, it is with this reference to the sacrificial systems of old that Paul helped his original audience – and us – understand that we still have sacrifices to make: with how we live. 

And in case we’re tempted to think we’re being called into a life of self-abnegation or flagellation, Paul is quick to tell us what this ‘giving of our lives’ looks like: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). 

‘Not conforming to the world’ means living differently – not looking like everyone else. It’s what God tried to help the Israelites do when they lived surrounded by idol-worshiping, child-sacrificing nations. It’s what God helps us do now – to live set apart from the world.

And that often feels like quite the sacrifice. When we choose not to wear the all-too-revealing clothes or over-drink or spend all our money on ourselves or bash politicians or gossip about others or elevate ourselves or put career over family, we experience the cost. 

The truth is when we look and act differently from the world, we get questions, face judgment, or even endure persecution. But like the Israelites, we can trust that God knows what is good. And that all He wants for His people, for us, is goodness. 

All this means that just as the priests of the tabernacle were consecrated for their holy work, we are meant to live consecrated for God (Exodus 29 and 30). Living set apart is to live holy just as Jesus is holy (1 Peter 1:15).⁴ Consecration – like waking up in the morning, like the lighting of the incense – happens daily.⁴ Paul tells us that for such consecration to happen, to live and look differently from the world, we must spend time in God’s Word so that our minds are renewed (Romans 12:2).

Giving our lives as a sacrifice is also living repentant and humble before God, confessing our sins and allowing the blood of Christ to make us whole. In my own life, I experience worship at much deeper levels when I first spend time lifting my prayers to God as I name my sins and shortcomings – like taking the blood-soaked coals to light my fires of worship. Something inside me opens up, His love fills me afresh, and worship gushes out.

Friends, Jesus’ death tore that final curtain in two so that all who believe in Him can enter God’s presence (Hebrews 10:20). However, if we are to enter into the Holy of Holies most fully, most deeply, we must continually ignite the flames of the altar of incense – by offering our sacrifices of praise and prayer (Hebrews 13:15; Psalm 141:2), by sacrificing ourselves wholly to the Lord, to His Word, and to His ways (2 Corinthians 8:5; 1 Timothy 4:15).

The Temple of the New Jerusalem

We’ve spent some time observing past tabernacle (and temple) practices and spaces to better understand what Jesus accomplished for us, as well as to see more fully the connections between the old and the new. Let’s add one more layer to what we’ve been learning. When Jesus sent His Spirit into all believers, the old covenant was fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). The new covenant was ushered in. And now the Spirit-filled bodies of all believers are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Soak that in. Before Jesus, God was only able to dwell among His people when they built a physical place of worship and followed all the ceremonial laws of sacrifice. But today, because God is in us, there is no physical temple.

And neither will there be a temple at the end of the age – because on the day that the new heaven and the new earth come together, all believers will live perpetually in the presence of God and Jesus, and They will be the temple (Revelation 21:22)!⁵ 

For Jews of all history, the temple was always their place of sacrifice, but in the fully finished New Jerusalem, the ‘temple’ will be used for what it was always meant for – worship!!! Until that day, we worship God with our bodies, which are His temple, His place of dwelling with us. We live consecrated for Him and His service. And we offer our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. 

This is worship.

Father God, we come before You today with hearts willing to let go of what we’ve thought we’ve known about You, about your Word, and about your ways. We recognize with conviction that to fully worship You is to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice – it’s not going through the motions. It’s not checking all the boxes. It’s certainly not blending in with the crowds and living complacently, comfortably. Wholehearted devotion to You comes with a cost. So we draw near to the altar of incense, igniting its coals soaked in the Lamb’s blood, and offer our prayers. We lift up our praises to You. We lay down our lives before You. Lord Jesus, thank You for your sacrifice. Thank You for atoning for our sins so that we can now enter the Holy of Holies. With You as our Intercessor, we know that every sacrifice of prayer and praise finds its way to the Father. With You as our Redeemer, we marvel at the privilege of entering the Father’s presence. Holy Spirit, show us where we conform to the world. Teach us how to renew our minds by opening our understanding of God’s Word. And give us sincere hearts that will fully embrace our Father no matter the cost. We want to live our lives for Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.
(inspired by Romans 8:34, 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:5; 1 Timothy 4:15; Hebrews 10:19-22, 13:15; Psalm 141:2

Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.

• 1 – Beth Moore’s study, A Woman’s Heart God’s Dwelling Place,^ was my first full-fledged Bible study to participate in, and it changed the way I understand and read Scripture. She had us flipping from Old to New Testament throughout so that we could see the interconnectedness of old and new. Her entire study influences this series, and for this post, especially pp.85, 115-119. I particularly love how Ms. Beth reminds us that Jesus stands at the right of God to intercede for His children (Romans 8:34). As such, all our prayers rise to God by way of the One who shed His blood. Hear this: “Jesus kindles the coals and releases the fragrance of saints’ prayers toward heaven.” So good!
• 2 – Here’s the scene from The Chosen. (about 8 minutes) 
• 3 – In Chris Tomlin’s book, How Great Is Our God,^ is this great reminder: “At the cross of Jesus, God says, ‘All of me for all of you.’ And at the cross of Jesus, we receive this gift and respond with our lives back to God, ‘All of me for all of you.’” pp.41-42
• 4 – In JD Walt’s Wake Up Call, 3/16/22, he expounds on this idea from 1 Peter 1:15, saying things like, “Fully atoned for, we can live holy lives by revering Jesus Christ as Lord in our hearts, within the innermost place of our innermost selves.” Throughout most of His Wake Up Call posts, JD teaches and encourages a life of consecration, which always begins with the Ephesians 5:14 call to “Wake up, sleeper!!” 
• 5 – It’s really cool to note that in Revelation – in the throne room of God in heaven – there is no bronze altar because it’s not needed anymore. Sins no longer need to be atoned for – the Sacrifice has been made. (In her Revelation^ study, Jen Wilkin has her students mark all the articles of the tabernacle as they’re referenced throughout Revelation. And that exercise did, indeed, bring revelation!! All the articles in the tabernacle – in the courtyard, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place – are in God’s actual throne room…all except the bronze altar. It’s such a cool moment when your mind and heart realize that everything in Scripture points us back to God, right where He is – on His throne, making a way for us to be with Him. So good!)
• The song I referenced, the one that sings so worshipfully, “Day and night, night and day let incense arise,” is the song “Worthy Of It All” by Legacy Worship. You can find it on our Embrace Worship Spotify playlist. You’ll also find songs like “Living Sacrifice” by Brandon Lake:
  
  All on the altar, surrendered again
  Freely I lay down my everything
  This is my honor, the gift that I bring.
  I will be a living sacrifice
  All my heart and soul to glorify
  I offer nothing less than all my life
  For Jesus Christ!!!
  
  Sing along. Let these words of consecration ignite new fires within you so that your worship rises to God with all that you are!!
• Each Wednesday I upload a “Teacup” teaching video that carries on the topic here. You can find all the videos on my Facebook Author Page, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Many of you have already found me on Substack! Thank you so much! While you’re on Substack, check out the ministry I’m blessed to be part of, the Devoted Collective. AND…don’t forget if you’d rather listen to these weekly posts, you can now do so on Substack — it’s easy to see and use the audio bar across the top of each post.
• My monthly newsletter, The Abiding Life, goes to email inboxes of those who have subscribed on my website, and I post them on Substack — usually within the first week of the month. My most recent edition can be found there, and you can subscribe for future newsletters on Substack, here.

Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike. These next three months we’re focusing on the rhythm of worship (surprise!).

• This week we are highlighting and ‘tabbing’ Romans 12:1-2 in our Prayer Bibles! Each week this summer we’re marking significant passages about worship so that we can find them easily, put them to memory, and apply them in our abiding lives. These are words we can pray with a little personalization. They can also become words of reverence-filled worship. Pray these words or lift them up as your sacrifice of praise — because YOU are a living sacrifice:
  • “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” –Romans 12:1-2 NLT
• We’re all called to share the truths about the work of Jesus. One way you can do that is by sharing this site and telling others your own stories of faith experiences. Believe it or not, we worship God each time we share our stories of faith! We use our whole selves to tell about our holy God!!

Featured Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash. “All the Bits and Pieces” photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash.
^Denotes an affiliate link, with which this ministry earns a bit to help it keep going. 😉