Same Bull, Different Color
After the children of Israel were led out of Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness to Mt. Sinai to meet with the Lord. During this time the Lord gave them the Law to which they were to follow. It was also at this time that the Lord laid out offerings they were to make. Long story short, God is wanting to dwell with His people Israel. But He can’t, do to their sin. So the Law is given and offerings are made so that they may be ritually holy & clean before the Lord so that He may dwell among them. (Check out the teaching on Leviticus from Journey Nights via Youtube for more understanding) Leviticus 1-5 walks us through 5 different types of offerings that they could make.
- Burnt Offering
- This offering was one focused on atonement for general sin, representing total consecration, devotion, and voluntary worship. (Animal)
2. Grain Offering
- Intended to show devotion to God in a physical manner.
- Burning part and the rest eaten by the priests
3. Peace Offering
- Shared between God, priests, and worshipers to express thanks, fulfill vows, or celebrate peace.
- Not for atonement, but to enjoy the fellowship and peace existing between God and His people.
+ Portion burned, for priest, for family
4. Sin Offering
- This offering functioned to cleanse the sanctuary and the sinner from the defilement caused by inadvertent sins, allowing them to return to God's presence.
+ Required
5. Guilt Offering
- Unlike the sin offering, the guilt offering focuses on reparation—repaying the damage done, often with an added penalty of 20% to the priest or victim.
- Required for unintentional violations of the Lord's holy things (e.g., mishandling sacrifices, vows) or for specific breaches of trust against others.
Two things I want to point out here.
“I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.”
**A sacrifice that cost me nothing, isn’t an sacrifice**
2. 2 Required & 3 Voluntary Offerings. The two required offerings were the Sin & Guilt offerings. These were done from a place of Obedience. The three voluntary offerings were Burnt, Grain, & Peace. These were done from a place of Self-Discipline. Something done in ones on free will! Not Forced or Made
The required offerings were necessary to atone for ones sin or to cleanse defilement. Mandatory to restore broken relationship. The voluntary offerings were given willingly, often to express devotion, gratitude, and thanksgiving to the Lord. If this is the case, then why aren’t we still making these required offerings to atone for our sins? I mean Hebrews 9:22 tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Because Jesus was the final sin offering. He was an unblemished male, taken from the flock, and slain on a cross. His blood now atoning for us.
**He has fulfilled the Requirement of the Sin & Guilt Offerings once and for all**
Though those offerings are fulfilled, the other three never have…why? I believe, that we are still meant to voluntarily offer things up to the Lord as a sign of devotion, gratitude, and thanksgiving.
I believe that today God is calling us to willingly put some things on the altar…To kill it…with no intention of picking it back up again. Hear me, I’m not just talking about sinful things (required things) in our lives, though yes we should…I’m talking about those things that when the idea of stepping away from it your defense rises up. I’m talking about the thing that you say isn’t an issue, you can handle, or you can control it…but the only thing being controlled is you. You know…That thing in your life you are already trying to justify in your heart right now while you’re reading this…That thing!
Here is something I have learned in my 31 years…
Our response to the call to sacrifice or offer up something, reveals the posture of our hearts. We can say one thing all day long about our love of the Lord…but the moment He calls us to sacrifice or offer up something we get quiet or go on without actually doing it. So it makes me question…what’s going on in my heart, what’s in my heart keeping me from doing this?
This is for everyone, because we will never get to a point where we have offered enough.
#1. It’s not about offering “enough”. There is no limit to that which we can offer to the Lord.
#2. I want to continue to show my devotion, gratitude, and thanksgiving to the Lord!
I have walked through moments like this before in my life, but to be honest with y’all I’m currently walking in a place of refusal to lay something on the altar myself. Laugh all you want, but that thing in my life is Red Bull. I love Red Bull. I’m talking about an Ice Cold Red Bull, hearing the crack of the can, the crispiness of the carbonation, the sweet and tart taste…And then you get to wake up and do it again the next day! People drink Red Bull to wake up, brother I wake up for Red Bull! If you know me or have hung out with me at all, you know at some point I have a Red Bull in my hand.
About two years ago I felt the Lord say it was time to step away from Red Bull…to which I said, that can’t be the Holy Spirit. And during that time I have continued to hear that same thing. Now at times I would stop and declare this is it…but over time I’d come back to it. Even times I’ve asked people to hold me accountable only to laugh it off when they actually hold me accountable.
Back in February Pastor Hope spoke on the golden calf and Idols in your life. In my mind I was like “hopefully people are listening because I think I’m good!” Later that week I was drinking a red bull while working on something in the sound booth. As I was sitting there going to grab my Red Bull, God drew my attention to the bull on the can and I heard the words “Same Bull, Different Color”. What I understood in that moment is that I had made this drink an Idol in my life. And to go a step further, that to drink this I am actively engaged in idol worship. When this realization came, I was shook. And for the next two weeks I went without RedBull. But after a while…some justification here, talking myself into over there, I’ve been working hard so I deserve it…I found myself back to where I was.
I need y'all to catch this…Red Bull is not the Issue! It is simply the physical fruit of the root issue that lies deep within my heart. And that issue is Selfishness…Red Bull is what I want, it’s what I desire. Who cares if God wants something else. If it doesn’t line up with me…I hope you can see the issue now. No longer am I at a place that says “Father, Your will be done”, but it’s at a place that says “Father, align Your will to mine.”
So if I know the issue lies deeper in my heart…how do I kill it off at the root?
- Humble Yourself
James 4:7-10
[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
1 Peter 5:5-6
[5] Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you,
Matthew 23:12
[12] Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Consciously shift your focus away from ego and pride towards gratitude and service.
- Own your mistakes
- Ask for Help
- Be Teachable
I feel we often pin this idea of humbling one self to the selfish, prideful, arrogant, & loud…but even those who are meek and quiet need to humble themselves as well! Meekness doesn’t equal humility. You might be quiet on the outside, but there is just as much pride in your heart.
2. Expose It
I don’t know if you are aware of this, but it’s really hard to fix something when you can’t see it. So how can we fix the deep issues rooted in our hearts…expose it to the Light.
Ephesians 5:11–14
[11] Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. [12] For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. [13] But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, [14] for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
John 3:19–21
[19] And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. [20] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. [21] But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
The reason that selfishness in me hasn’t died off like it should is because I have been unwilling to humble myself, admit my mistakes, and expose it. Do you know how many people I told about that moment with God & the Red Bull…0. Why? Because even though I placed it on the altar, my knife never came out. Just in case I wanted to go take it back. Since I told nobody what happened, no one saw my sacrifice on the altar in the first place and no one saw it wasn’t dead.
You know what the last thing I want to do today is, tell a everyone my short comings and what God is calling me to that I’ve failed to listen to. Why? Because now it’s in the light. Because now I have a group of people who have seen the issue and can help hold me accountable. And let me correct myself, this is the last thing my flesh wants me doing. Because inside of me my spirit man is shouting, dancing, and crying because my spirit knows something my flesh can’t comprehend…Freedom is found in the Light.
You may of laughed at Red Bull, but your thing might be smoking.
- Alcohol
- Weed
- Music
- Shows/Movies
- Foods
- People you follow on Social Media
- Friendships
Before you say anything…Recognize your response right now. Are you defensive? Are you justifying it? “It’s not a sin!” You know what else isn’t a sin, drinking Red Bull. The question, “Is it sinful?”, is often a way for us to justify what we want to keep on doing. It’s asked from a selfish place. I’m not preaching legalism, I’m simply saying that I believe voluntary offerings are still being given today. That it’s going to cost us something, but it’s worth it! It’s not a matter of is it sin or not, it’s the simple fact that Lord I freely choose to give it to you!
In the long run, what is my voluntary offering, my sacrifice in comparison to Christ’s sacrifice for us. HE GAVE HIS LIFE!
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
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