Outside the Camp

Hebrews 13 10. we have an altar be glad you have an altar say Amen we have an altar from which those who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp therefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered outside the gate therefore because of that therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach and then my text from Sunday so you get the context for here we have no continuing City but we seek the one to come God bless you thank you for standing please be seated a message tonight is outside the camp therefore let us go to him outside the camp bearing his reproach this past Sunday I preached on the theme no continuing City from Hebrews 13 14. and in the process of preparing for that message as I was studying the context of Hebrews 13 and was equally struck by this passage and felt like it was better served to separate them in the two messages then try to deliver what's in my heart tonight this past Sunday and not focus on no continuing City the writer of Hebrews says three basic things in verse 13 we're to go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach now the Old Testament gives us so many examples it's the school Master it's an instructor to lead us to Jesus Christ and these things happen to them for our examples but the Old Testament Israelites traveling through the Wilderness after they have been delivered from Egyptian bondage camped their Camp was their city limits in the center of the encampment was the Tabernacle in the wilderness the Tabernacle was the place of worship and sacrifice where the presence of God dwelt there was the outer Court the holy place and the most holy place or the holiest of holies there were symbolic and significant Furnishings in the Tabernacle a Brazen altar a Laver of water inside the holy place there was a table of shoe bread the golden lamp stand the altar of incense inside the most holy place that holiest of holies was the Ark of the Covenant the golden pot of manna inside the rod of errands that budded and the tables of the law all inside that Ark of the Covenant and in later Jewish history only the only thing that was there or the table was the table of the law that Ark of the Covenant not to be confused with Noah's Ark that Ark of the Covenant the lid of it was The Mercy Seat and is there that blood was finally sprinkled and the mercy of God came overshadowing The Mercy Seat for two cherubimed with their wings outstretched and looking down at Mercy above the law and the Lord said he would meet man there at that Mercy Seat the people of Israel camped around the Tabernacle where the presence of God dwelt it's important to remember that the church was in the center of their lives it was not at the circumference of their lives it was in the middle of who they were the camping configuration was fascinating there is a first Inner Circle really probably more like a a square of encampment it was all all for the tribe of Levi on the east side Aaron Moses the priests on the West Side the gershonites on the North side the mayor rights on the South Side the koathites in that second square or like the circle around the camp on the East it was Judah issachar and zebulun on the west it was Ephraim Manasseh and Benjamin on the North naphtali Asher and Dan on the south Reuben Simeon and God this was the encampment of Israel and it was a holy place it was akin to the church it was the Old Testament Church The Traveling Church in the wilderness there were some things that were not allowed inside the camp if a person had leprosy or running sores they were not killed but they were put out of the camp as long as they were sick they were considered to be contagious and the camp was holy they wanted the people safe so there was a quarantine of sorts of ill people as this religion was pure and sincere as it was delivered from God and as long as it was like that this Camp was a holy place however Orthodoxy has a way of losing its way an Orthodoxy is a generally accepted belief of a society a particular time as the tradition believe traditional beliefs of a religious group or sometimes a political party and being Orthodox is good as long as Orthodoxy does not put truth outside the camp religion though can devolve into ritual and people can become corrupt leaders can abuse their positions with power and privilege it is distressing to read but this happened early in the history of Israel after Israel was delivered from Egypt cross the Red Sea camped at Sinai Moses called A God Called Moses up to Mount Sinai to him 40 days of fasting and it was there that God gave the law to Moses written the Bible says with the Finger of God when Moses came down from the mountain he heard a sound in the camp that sounded odd to him and as he approached the camp there was a sound of singing dancing a crazy sound to him and when he arrived he saw that there was a molten calf there and the people were worshiping it and sacrificing to it and they were saying these are your gods of Israel who brought you out of the land of Egypt Moses threw down the law dashed it in pieces the people had broken the moral law of God and now that physical law of God was broken in peace as Moses would spend another 40 days later trying to get that he took that calf grounded up destroyed it made them drink it with water and then in Exodus 33 chapter 7 Moses did something Moses took the Tabernacle that was in the camp and he pitched it without the cam afar from the camp and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation and it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord went out unto the Tabernacle of the congregate congregation which was without the camp and it came to pass when Moses went out of the Tabernacle that the people rose up and said every man in his tent door and looked after Moses until he was gone into the Tabernacle and it came to pass as Moses entered into the Tabernacle that cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the Tabernacle and the Lord talked with Moses and all the people saw the Cloudy pillar stay stand at the Tabernacle door and all the people rose up and worshiped every man at his tent door now the presence of the Lord is not bound not obligated to any group of people to any place or to any program and when the people of God rejected the Lord the Lord picked the church up and moved it outside the camp the camp where they were so comfortable the Lord dwells Among The Humble the high and lofty place and he also dwells with those that are of a contrite and humble Spirit Moses moved the church outside the camp if you wanted to go to God you had to go to Moses and if you wanted to go to Moses you had to go outside the camp the glory of the Lord was at the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle was now outside the camp there's another interesting example that kind of portrays the same idea in The Book of Leviticus chapter 16 we have the day of atonement it gives us instructions about this annual day there were two goats that were chose chosen to address the sins of Israel there were other facets of this day but I want to focus on these two kids of goats for a sin offering one of the ghosts was chosen by a lot for sacrifice that sacrificial goat would be killed as an offering to the Lord a sin offering according to Leviticus 16 19. they would bring his blood within the veil sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat the second goat was called the scapegoat it was chosen to Bear the iniquities of Israel into a land not inhabit it would be led out of the camp by the hand of a fit man Leviticus 9 16 and 10 said that this scapegoat would be presented alive to the Lord he would be let go for a scapegoat Into the Wilderness Leviticus 16 20 after this reconciliation of the holy place is done they would take this live goat this is a fascinating passage that I began to study about the langone of hands and Aaron will lay both of his hands on the live goat will confess over him the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions and all their sins putting them transferring them to the head of the goat and he would send them away by the hand of a fit man Into the Wilderness and Leviticus 16 22 and the Goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited and he shall let the goat let go the goat in the wilderness the scapegoat is Led away outside the camp the finale of this sacrificial process is in Leviticus 16 27 and the bullet for the sin offering and the Goat for the sin offering whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place shall one carry forth without the camp and they shall burn in the fire their skins and their flesh and their dung so that nothing would be remaining nothing would be left to eat for anyone that's what happened to the sacrificial lamb so both the goat for a sin offering and the scapegoat have their Destiny outside the camp the writer of Hebrews appears to be the first Theologian to have interpreted the events of the cross from the perspective of a Leviticus 16. and we know from the Bible that Jesus Christ was both our sin offering and our Escape go amen he was the sacrificial lamb who took away the sins of the world he also carried our sins away as I preached about recently as far as the East is from the West very fascinating but there's even more Jesus Christ was crucified outside the camp outside the city was it is a historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified outside the city walls of Jerusalem outside the camp Golgotha according to John 19 and 16 they they led him away to be crucified they went forth to a place called the place of a skull which is called in a Hebrew Golgotha it was there that Jesus was crucified a place that was near or nigh to the city according to John 19 20 and other passages in the New Testament Jesus came to his own his own received him not he was rejected by his own people in the city that he loved it is tragic but fitting that he would die outside the camp if you will the Bible is fascinating in its history his typology and the reality Moses moved the tent a meeting outside the camp and the presence of the Lord dwelt there the sacrificial goat and the scapegoat were both taken outside the camp on the day of atonement Jesus was crucified outside the camp outside the city of Jerusalem the writer of Hebrews draws on this Rich Biblical history to make a powerful point about our commitment to Jesus Christ I want to read the text again with the context that I've just shared Hebrews 13 10. we have an altar from which those who serve the Tabernacle still in Judaism they have no right to eat now I'll pause to say that our altar is the cross of Jesus Christ amen it is not an Old Testament Altar for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp it's the illusion to heat to Leviticus 16 by the writer of Hebrews therefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered outside the gate and because of that verse 13 let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach Jesus sets the precedent we are called verse 13 again to go forth to him we can stay in the camp of complacency or of our own little world of religiosity but if Jesus is not where I am I want to go to him wherever he is to go forth outside the camp bearing his reproach now I want to be very clear tonight that I'm not suggesting in any way that you need to leave the church or the truth to go to Jesus I am suggesting that the church needs to keep the truth that needs to keep Jesus but historically ritualistic religion has booted God and the Bible and the power of God the truth of God's word outside of their system of religion just as the Jews evicted Jesus from their little system of religion they put him outside the camp and Jesus God Almighty in his word gave us these comparisons gave us this understanding that sometimes he's not found in status quo he's not found in your comfort zone he's not found in complacency he's not found in the world that you've created for yourself he's often found outside the camp we have an altar he said that is outside of Judaism it is outside of traditional religion they have no right to eat of this Tabernacle for they do not recognize the blood of Jesus Christ for in its atoning power many who were in the camp of powerless and ritualistic religion as I've said earlier put Jesus outside the camp now in this season of consecration that we're in as a church it requires us to walk away from business as usual to go forth to Jesus outside the camp bearing his reproach I want to assure you that Jesus Christ is outside the camp of preconceived ideas Judaism rejected him because he came outside their Paradigm for how the Messiah would come and we may have our own ideas of how God must work to suit our will but he works by his will and not ours Jesus Christ is outside the camp of superficial religion Jesus Christ is outside the camp of professed Orthodoxy he is outside the camp of calf worshipers who practice idolatry and immorality in the name of religious liberty he is not there he's waiting on us to go forth to him outside the camp that we've created that has not made room for him and bearing the reproach that he bore in his own body sometimes God calls people to seasons of going outside the camp but there are people who also who are called to a life that is outside the norm I want to use this in application outside the camp bearing reproach Beyond a season of Separation to prayer fasting and consecration for us it's time to throw away the status quo and go to Jesus Christ and make sure we find him not just religion not just form even if it's Pentecostal form we want Jesus we want his power we want his presence we want the glory Cloud over us and if we need to move from our place of how we think to go to where he is we've got to go to Jesus the call of God will separate you from the world and unto him I was thinking about some of the unique people that I know who have been called to maybe a lonely unusual and obscure calling in life the Bible has a long list of people who are called to Unique Ministries I'll spare you that you can read Hebrews 11. I won't call his name but one of the most amazing men I know has never been in the spotlight he's not a well-known Camp speaker or office holder but he is a man of God Who Walks With God those who know him Revere him as a prophet he's been a missionary he served in a Bible College in a rank and file position but to everyone who knows him they know that he knows God he is unknown but well known to God he's an amazing individual I've thought about the precious people who serve in churches in missionary Works outside the spotlight that have responded to the call of God to live in an unorthodox way an unorthodox life outside the praise of men North American Church Planters and Global missionaries that go outside the camp of coolness of what it means to be a preacher or a pastor to let the calling of Jesus Christ dictate where they go and what they do people that I know who've chosen a life of self-denial over self-gratification have gone outside the camp to Jesus and I found that whenever you get over yourself and your desire for the Applause of people and approval you're on your way to going to Jesus outside the camp for his glorious shows and his favor is there I don't know why I got on this train of thought but today I text my good friend brother Jim poitrus he serves as the Director of aim and education for global missions and I said brother poitrus I am thinking about some ladies in the United Pentecostal Church single ladies who served in Ministry much like Anna who served god with fastings in prayer for 84 years after she became a widow Women of Faith largely unknown to the world but well known to God I was surprised at the list that he and I kind of created and I appreciate his help so much Margaret Calhoun in Brazil Kathy colorn our friend in El Salvador Amy Sawyer in Belize Sister Kim in Korea Elsie Lund throughout West Africa Wilma Ruth Nix southern Africa America Ivana Norris in Brazil Colleen Carter Northern Ghana Ghana and Gabon Lynn Jewett in Mexico in Guatemala Cindy White in Jordan Nancy Mansfield in Jordan Darlene can'tola Royer in Kenya and Uganda and then later he sent me this name Amer Dr Sherry Grissom a missionary's kid who arrived in Senegal last year and died within five days my message tonight is not a call to missions nor is it a call to singleness but I have great respect for people who seem to not really be bound up by what anybody else thinks but they have learned to walk outside the camp to follow Jesus Christ wherever he's going and whatever he's doing to answer the call to take up their cross and follow him my message tonight is that we would go forth without the camp bearing his reproach whatever it requires you to leave and whatever reproach you must bear we need to go forth out of our comfort zones outside of our camp and be willing to Bear the reproach of Jesus Christ and I want to ask you tonight will you heed that call to Consecration and commitment whatever that call may lead one more time Hebrews 13 13 as you're standing therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach and why should we not be tied to the safe precincts of a city I preached about it on Sunday verse 14 for here we have no continuing City but we seek one to come and as I close my message on Sunday I noted that Jerusalem would fall in 70 A.D and anybody that was hanging on to the camp was going to find themselves without a City without a physical Temple without a home and they needed the relationship more than they needed a ritual or a religion amen the city of the status quo is doomed for Destruction but those who go to Jesus wherever he is bearing his reproach will never be abandoned