What Does Jesus Say?
Sweet Sacrifice
What is a sweet sacrifice to the Lord? The bible talks about different types of sacrifices. Leviticus chapter 4 speaks of the sin and trespass offering. Chapter 3 talks about the peace offering. The peace offering was a “sweet smelling” sacrifice to the Lord. It pictures Jesus’ finished work in the believer. A restoration of our relationship with the Father. When we give thanks or when we worship or lift up the Name of Jesus in praise and adoration, we are appropriating a sweet-smelling sacrifice to the Lord.
This type of sacrifice would be in contrast to an unsweet smelling sacrifice. The unsweet sacrifice pictures Jesus bearing the weight of our sins. When we repent and confess ours sins, we appropriate an unsweet sacrifice to the Lord. Unsweet but necessary! When Jesus died on the cross, the Father turned away from Him.
Mark 15:34 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
What does this mean? Does Jesus no longer have a relationship with the Father? Is His ministry no longer valid?
No! These words point to the most important concept in the Bible! When Jesus died on the cross, our sins were transferred to Him! At that moment God turned away. Sin cannot exist in God’s presence. Even though Jesus was God in the flesh who never sinned, being perfect, He accepted the punishment for your sins and my sins. He endured the punishment that you and I deserve!
We can now appropriate and apply His finished work at the cross to our own lives by repenting of our sins and trusting in Jesus to completely forgive us of our sins. This is true freedom! Freedom from the bondage and slavery that shackles us.