October 18th, 2009..."One Year: Leviticus - Sacrifice"

Introduction: Sometimes we slip into a comfortable place and begin, unfortunately, to take certain things for granted. The use of our vehicles, a working furnace a friend who is always willing to lend a hand. Many things and people in our lives can fall inadvertently into this category. Sometimes we even become complacent when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. We take Him for granted and forget just how awesome, how holy He is. Holiness has a basic meaning of ‘separate from’ or ‘other’.

Essential Impact: God’s ‘otherness’ demands our ‘careful’ consideration.

Because God is holy and has revealed Himself to us, Creator, Ruler, Initiator, Covenant Maker, He has every right to declare to us the conditions of our approaching Him in the relationship we have with Him. Not in some malicious series of hoops that we must jump through but because He is completely unlike anyone / anything we have ever encountered.

We can divide the book of Leviticus in two parts that help us to further understand our relationship with God, this holy = completely ‘other’ God. The first half, chapters 1-17 we will consider this morning and chapter 18-27 will be next time.

The first 17 chapters show us the way to approach God.

You may recall that when Moses approached the burning bush in Genesis the voice of God came to Moses and said, “Take off your shoes for the ground upon which you are standing is holy.” God prescribes for us the way to approach Him. We see three pieces to that approach through Leviticus.

1. The approach to God must be made by / with sacrificial offerings.
2. The approach is mediated by the Priest.
3. The approach can only be made after purification.

As you read Leviticus you probably have had the experience of getting bogged down very quickly in the details of the sacrifices and the kinds of animals and what to do with the fat portion and so on and so forth. All of those details serve, in one sense, as a reminder the entire time of the seriousness of the approach to God who is holy.

1. The approach to God must be made by / with sacrificial offerings. [Chapters 1-7]

1a. As these sacrificial offerings are listed and explained we do well to relate them to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He is a savior who not only died for our sins but His sacrifice fulfilled the requirement of the Levitical Laws that governed the approach to God.

i. the burnt offering of Leviticus One demonstrates / symbolizes Christ’s total submission to His Father’s will.

ii. the meal offering of Leviticus Two relates to Christ’s sinless service

iii. the peace offering of Leviticus Three brings the believer into fellowship with God through Christ’s cross.

iv. the sin offering of Leviticus Four typifies Christ as our guilt bearer.

v. the trespass offering of Leviticus Five links for us an understanding of Christ’s payment for sin…our sins.

2. The approach is mediated by the Priest. [Chapter 8-10]

The meaning of “mediation.” Illustration from Peace makers Ministry. A third party that brings warring factions to the table for reconciliation and restoration of relationship.

In chapter 8 the priest…Aaron and the Levites chosen…are consecrated in order to perform the duties that they have before the Lord on behalf of the people. They are anointed, their hands are filled and they are consecrated with blood. This sets them apart for their work. In a sense they are ordained for ministry. In chapter 9 they must be made clean before they can serve before the Lord. As they serve as mediators between God and man they must make sacrifice for themselves. Moses gives them instruction and three times the chapter records that the Lord would appear to them…4, 6, 23. In chapter 10 there is a vivid illustration of how not to approach God with the two sons of Aaron, priests who were consecrated and set apart for ministry before the Lord brought “strange fire” and they were struck dead by God. Disobedience and departure from the directly prescribed revealed way of approach to God had catastrophic results.

Christ is our mediator and our high priest. Hebrews 3.1; 7.27; 8.6; 9.15; 10.5-22; Ephesians 2.13-18; 1 Timothy 2.5.


3. The approach can only be made after purification. [Chapter 11-17]

But what about all the people? How can they approach God? They too must be pure…and their purity comes in diverse laws and codes. The Laws of Leviticus 11-15 deal with issues of diet, issues of blood, issues of disease, and issues of bodily function. Hardly any of which have what we would consider “moral” outcomes. They occur as the normal course of live transpires. And as such we become “unclean” before God because of them. That is why there is the Levitical Law governing how to become “clean” again. However, that does not negate or absolve us from the “moral” commands of God. We too violate those aspects of approach to God and also must be cleansed. Thus, chapter 16 and 17 outline for us the most special day of the Jewish calendar. The Day of Atonemanet. YOM KIPPUR…September 28th 2009. The day the high priest went into the Holy of Holies and sacrificed before the Lord for the sins of the people.

Jesus Christ is our high priest and sacrificed the perfect sacrifice for sin on the cross. Hebrews 9.8-14.


APPLICATION: In our approaching God…

OFFERINGS: a. religious offering by way of ritual and or tradition amongst themselves are not appropriate nor adequate to approach a holy God. Tradition, regardless of it’s source, where it comes from, no matter where it is found…communion, hymnody, baptism, alter calls, Free Church congregationalism…do not make us acceptable before God in order to approach Him in worship. The Jews had their Levitical Laws and they could approach…believers have Jesus and are free to approach Him.

MEDIATION: Chapter 10 shows us the danger of approaching God on our own term and in our own merits. Disastrous results. Nabab and Abihu… Acts chapter 5 where Anninias and Saphira die because they lie to the Holy Spirit about their offerings.

1. My tithes make me acceptable because I’m obedient. Tithes and obedience are not mediators

2. I sing this type of music because it is so meaningful. Music is not a mediator.

3. I serve in the church as a Sunday School teacher, board member, choir director, host family, etc. Serving is not a mediator.

4. NO church “thing” is a mediator.

If we mix any thing with the sacrifice of Christ we are bringing strange fire before the Lord. And we should repent while we still can. Recall the warnings to the churches of Revelation where Christ warns them to repent of their sins unless He remove their lampstand.

PURITY:

Coming to Christ for salvation. Illustration of going to court where you are charged with a crime and you get all cleaned up and put on your best clothes to go before the judge. Coming to Christ is not like that in the particular aspect of getting cleaned up and wearing the best clothes. We come before the Lord with our sin and, through Jesus’ completed work on the cross, God forgives our sin as we trust in Christ. Let me ask it this way, “Do you have to get cleaned up to take a bath?”

Psalm 66.18-19 = Purity in prayer

~It isn’t about any of our ‘stuff.’ Any denominational distinctive, traditions, nor works allows us to approach Almighty God. It is about our relationship with Jesus…because Calvary covers it all.