Leviticus 2
Leviticus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Opener:
In the book of Leviticus, five main types of sacrifices are described:
Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1): This offering was completely burned on the altar and symbolized total surrender to God.
Grain Offering (Leviticus 2): Also known as the cereal offering, it consisted of grains or flour mixed with oil and frankincense, symbolizing thanksgiving and dedication to God.
Fellowship Offering (Leviticus 3): Also called the peace offering, it was a voluntary offering expressing thanksgiving, fellowship, and peace with God.
Sin Offering (Leviticus 4): This offering was for unintentional sins committed by the individual, the community, or the leaders. It emphasized the need for atonement and cleansing from sin.
Guilt Offering (Leviticus 5): This offering was for specific sins such as lying, stealing, or breaking a vow. It involved restitution and a sacrifice to atone for the guilt.
These sacrifices were part of the sacrificial system in ancient Israel and were meant to teach the people about the seriousness of sin, the need for atonement, and the importance of worshiping and obeying God.
Text: Leviticus 8.1-17
God began to lay down the divine principle of sacrifice in Genesis. After Adam and Eve sinned, God Covered Them With Animal Skins, but not without cost. Animals had to die to provide their cover. This first sacrifice demonstrated that sin must be paid for: innocent blood had to be shed for the guilty. Sacrifice is the currency that pays for man’s sin. It is how sinful man can approach a holy God. God further developed this principle of sacrifice when He approved Abel’s offering of a first-born animal but not Cain’s offering because it was not a blood sacrifice.
The Old Testament sacrificial system foreshadows the ultimate sacrificial death of Jesus. Old Testament sacrifices were inadequate, covering up sins rather than washing them away. However, Jesus offered one sacrifice, and it was enough. It was all that was needed for eternity.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
These sacrifices are broke up into types of offerings.
Two of these were ways that, in Israel, I could say "thank you" to God by offering back to God the symbolic tokens of what God has first forgiven them.
Three other sacrifices were different ways of seeking the forgiveness of God.
While confessing that their sin has created more evil and death in God's good world. But instead of destroying this person, God of course wants to forgive them. And so this animal symbolically dies in their place and atones, which means it covers for their sin. And so through these rituals the Israelites were constantly being reminded of God's grace but also of his justice and the seriousness of their evil and its consequences.
There are three principles of atonement:
substitution (presenting the bull/ram),
identification (laying hands on its head),
Once the offeror presented the sacrifice, the priest placed the animal on the altar. The offeror laid his hands on it to identify with the sacrifice and show thankfulness that the animal took the offeror’s place on the altar of sacrifice.
the death of the substitute (slaughtering it).
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
In each of the offerings and the processing of the the sacrifice stood the servants of this holiness none other than the Priests.
In our text we find the same principle that you find throughout the whole of the book of leviticus.
God is Holy
Man is not.
So God is allowing for his people to come to him when they are set apart. Holiness from the world is key to being WHOLY God’s.
Lev 8:1-17
Gives to us the servants that make this possible. It is here that we find the distinguishing and Holiness of the Priests. That is that they are being set apart from the world.
There are three things that make the Priests unique from the world.
Their affectation. (6-10)
Cleanliness
Character
And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.
Notice the point of the garment:
Glory and Beauty
Consecration
Ministry to the Lord
Their anointing (12)
And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
That ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard:
That went down to the skirts of his garments;
Their atonement (14-17)
Note that whose offering this was: This offering was for the priests. See that the priests needed a sacrifice too.
How much was this needed then…
Let me remind you of why this was needed so desperately. Remember that this book is taking place at the foot of Mt. Sinia. This is all following the sin of the Golden Calf.
The people left to themselves fail the test and begin worshipping a false idol.
It is here that we see Moses as the first preist interceding for the people.
And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
It is here that we see the powerful work of intercession. The establishment of a preist is the plan of God to hard wire this relationship into Israel. God is on purpose putting someone in the system that can bring the people to Holiness. and Open the door of God’s compassion and forgivness.
This is God making permanent the work that Moses did on the mountain.
How useful it would be now…
If that was needed in the OT when the people were bowing down and worshipping the old gods of Egypt and claiming it was Yahweh. How much more is it needed today?
We have marriages being defined down to the lowest common denominator. If you follow the advice of our culture your marriage is doomed and will be anything but a godly example.
We are seeing the long term affects of pornography tearing at the moral seems of a nation.
Abortion is the natural progression of a young woman raised in this culture. Not to save the life of the mother, but to prevent inconvenience.
We are watching trans the children agenda on every side.
We are watching the rise of a tyranny that calls itself government.
We are in a time where isolation, depression, and and loneliness will define the existence of mass swaths of our nation.
We are legalizing drugs, turning a blind eye to crime, and pushing immorality as something that should be celebrated, and celebrated by the church no less.
What we need are some priests:
- that will take sin seriously and hate wickedness.
- that will pray and intercede for the families
- that will hold themselves and other accountable
- that will remember the high office in their home, work, and circles of influence.
- that will remember as the called of God we represent him wherever we God.
You see I’m talking about you.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
- that will remember we are not of this materialistic culture that things all that is is here and now. but will remember that we are otherworldly.
- we are not here to wrestle their flesh and blood but fight principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world on behalf of those that are going after the gods of this world.
Remember that Jesus said,
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
The value of your affectation. (6-10)
Cleanliness
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Character
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Notice the point of the garment:
Glory and Beauty
Consecration
Ministry to the Lord
The value of your anointing (12)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Our job is not to go out and punch people in the face with the Gospel. You are here to represent Jesus in the holy act of living Christ in front of them.
We can forget to joyfully live Jesus in the face of those that have no love for him. We don’t start by handing out a tract. You begin by living an example of forgiven people to a dying world.
The value of your atonement (14-17)
Note that the priests never outgrew their dependence in the atonement. In our next message we are going to see two priest that lost sight of how holy and precious the offering was and the result was catastrophic.
We see in in church every year people that once followed Christ and now have gone to the world. How?
Because we can forget how much we needed the forgiveness of Jesus, and with it how much I need his constant transformation.