“COME TO THE SACRIFICE”

By Donnie Swaggart 

I Samuel 16:1-5 — (1) “And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill your horn with oil, and go, I will send you to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons.

(2)  “And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me.  And the LORD said, Take an heifer with you, and say, I am come to Sacrifice to the LORD.

(3)  “And call Jesse to the Sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do: and you shall anoint unto Me him whom I name unto you.

(4)  “And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Beth-lehem.  And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Do you come peaceably?

(5)  “And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the Sacrifice.  And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the Sacrifice.”

I am not going to deal with the events of the story of Samuel’s journey to the house of Jessie.  Instead, I want to deal with the theme of the Text, the invitation given to “Come to the Sacrifice.”

“COME TO THE SACRIFICE” —THE THEME OF THE BIBLE

The Theme of the Bible is Christ and Him Crucified.  There is absolutely no debate or mistake concerning this.  The theme of the Bible is not Angels, miracles, money, education, the Law, Moses, David, or anything else.  The Theme is God becoming Man to atone for man’s sin at Calvary.  All the great Doctrines of the Bible flow from Mt. Calvary.

The revealed Truth concerning Christ’s Sacrifice as the only means of Salvation is clearly found in Scripture.  Actually we can see God’s Plan from the very beginning unfolding before us.  In Genesis 3:21, the Bible, speaking of Adam and Eve and their nakedness, says, “The LORD God made coats of skins, and clothed them.”

In this statement the Lord was showing us that “without the shedding of innocent blood there is no remission of sin.”  The innocent blood pertained to the innocent animals that gave their lives in order to provide clothes for Adam and Eve.  These animals, the sacrifices, were Types of Christ.

In this first sacrifice was laid the foundation of the entirety of the Plan of God as it regards Redemption.  In effect, Genesis 3:21, from then until now cries out “Come to the Sacrifice.”

There is no Salvation outside of Calvary’s Cross.  Man was and is a Lawbreaker, born into sin, and doomed, but at Calvary’s Cross, Christ became our Substitute.  At Calvary we find pardon and forgiveness of sin and its eternal consequence.

The truth of Christ’s Sacrifice must never be downplayed or looked lightly upon.  Many in the modern church are telling people to look at and focus on the Good Works of Christ.  That’s nice, but all of the Good Works and all of the Miracles of Christ did not redeem one soul.  Some are saying that we are to focus on the Resurrection and we should give honor and place to Christ’s Resurrection.  However, I remind you that there would not have been a Resurrection without the debt of sin first being cancelled out by the shedding of Christ’s Innocent Blood.  He was our Representative, our Substitute.  The Church can come up with anything it wants to, but the Bible still proclaims “For the preaching of the Cross is to them who perish foolishness; but unto us who are Saved, it is the Power of God” (I Cor. 1:18).  So, the answer to every problem is found at Calvary; therefore, the message of the Church must be “Come to the Sacrifice.”

“COME TO THE SACRIFICE” — THE ONLY ANSWER FOR MAN’S PROBLEM:  SIN

Not only does the “Sacrifice” reveal to us the only means of Salvation, it also reveals to us man’s problem, which is sin.  A problem so great that by death having to occur, it shows us that man cannot rehabilitate himself through works, but only through the shedding of innocent blood.

Sin is rebellion against God and His Way.  Sin is both an “act” and a “state.”  Sin is an act of man’s will, a revolt against God’s Law.  Sin brings separation from God, which then becomes a sinful state.  Man does what he does because of his sinful state.  Man is not a thief because he steals, but man steals because in his heart he is a thief.  The Church is fond of dealing with the symptoms of sin, but treating the symptom will not change the heart.  That’s why all of man’s and the Church’s self-help programs are destined for failure.  They don’t address the root problem, “sin,” nor do they give an answer for it, because they don’t have the answer.  At Calvary, the problem is laid wide open — sin, sin, sin!

Sin is the cause of all the horror and atrocities that have occurred throughout the ages.  Sin cannot be defeated in any other way than by Christ and Him Crucified.

The first three Chapters of Genesis contain the three Revelations of God, which throughout the Bible figure in all of God’s relations to man.  In Genesis, Chapter 1, we have the Creator, Who brought all into existence.  In Genesis, Chapter 2, we have the Covenant God, Who enters into personal relations with man.  In Genesis, Chapter 3, we have the Redeemer, Who makes provision for man’s Restoration, which was the Sacrifice.

Actually, man’s Spiritual History can be summed up as:  temptation, sin, guilt, Judgment, Redemption.

Through man’s own free will he succumbed to Satan’s “temptation,” which brought “sin” and all of its bondage and horror, which produced humanity’s “guilt.”  But, through the shedding of Innocent Blood, the “Judgment” we all deserved was placed on Christ, providing “Redemption” for all.

“COME TO THE SACRIFICE” — THE ONLY PLACE ONE CAN RECEIVE GOD’S COVERING:  THE BLOOD

Because of sin, God killed an innocent creature in order to clothe those who were naked in His sight.  In like manner, the Father gave up His only begotten Son, the Innocent One, unto death, in order to provide an atoning cover for the soul’s of men.

Only a God-made Garment can cover and cleanse man’s sin, and that Garment is the Blood of Christ, found at the “Sacrifice.”

To try and address man’s sin any other way than the Cross is akin to Adam and Eve trying to cover their nakedness through fig leaves.  The choice today is the Blood of Christ or man’s fig leaves.  As for me, I am glad I came to the “Sacrifice” and the Blood of God’s innocent Son covered and washed every sin away.  G.T. Haywood said it right nearly 100 years ago when he wrote:

“On Calvary’s Hill of sorrow where sin’s demands were paid, “And rays of hope for tomorrow across our path were laid.  “I see a crimson stream of Blood, It flows from Calvary, “Its waves which reach the Throne of God, are sweeping over me.”

“When gloom and sadness whisper, you’ve sinned, no use to pray, “I look away to Jesus, and He tells me to say:

“I see a crimson stream of Blood, It flows from Calvary,

“Its waves which reach the Throne of God, are sweeping over me.”

Let our Message ever be, “Come to the Sacrifice.”

Your Evangelist,

Donnie Swaggart