Sermon Tone Analysis

/Sacrifice Of Thanksgiving/

11-22-08 07                                       Lev.

7:12-15 (text v. 13) *11** ****f**‘This** /is/ the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the Lord: **12** If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers ****g**anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil.** **13** Besides the cakes, /as/ his offering he shall offer ****h**leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering.**

**14** And from it he shall offer one cake from each offering /as/ a heave offering to the Lord.

****i**It shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering.**

*

*15** j‘The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered.

He shall not leave any of it until morning.*

[1]

 

HUMOR: What does a turkey say? "Gobble, gobble, gobble," right?

Not always!

·      A jewelry-lovin' turkey?

"Bauble bauble bauble"

·      A dyslexic turkey say?  "Boggle boggle boggle"

·      A turkey in the shoe repair shop say?  "Cobble cobble cobble"

·      A turkey with a sore leg say?  "Hobble hobble hobble."

·      A football turkey say?  "Huddle, huddle, huddle"

·      A dieting turkey say?  "Nibble, nibble nibble."

·      A turkey who argues a lot:  "Squabble squabble squabble."

·      Then there was the dizzy Turkey who just went:  "Wobble wobble wobble!"

ÆOur text is the *first mention of “thanks” in the Bible*.

Prior to the giving of the Law the giving of thanksgiving is conspicuously absent:

·      Neither Adam nor Eve thanked God for his creation,

·      The families of Isaac and Jacob contended over God’s blessing rather than thanking him for it.

·      Ingratitude reached its lowest point when, after God delivered Israel from Egypt, they grumbled again and again, rather than thanking God for His deliverance and for food that literally fell from heaven.

ÆPerhaps the law for thank offerings should be seen against Israel’s failures to that point.

In our Nation’s History…

Instead of a day of fasting and prayer reflecting on the bad times the pilgrims had a man proposed that in place of the day of prayer, they put in its place a day of Thanksgiving.

This was to thank God for the blessings, safety, and good health… *not* a thanks to the Indians for their help.

As a result, in 1621, the Pilgrims observed the first Thanksgiving day.

Lincoln acknowledged it nationally in 1863; and, in 1941, Congress passed into law that the 4th Thursday of each November be officially recognized as Thanksgiving Day.

This coming Thursday we will enjoy a time of food, family and fellowship; however, *we should never forget the faithfulness of a God who has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ*.”

Eph.

1: 3

 

In this passage the role of the priests in the various types of fellowship offerings is prescribed.

As noted in the instruction in Leviticus 3, the main feature of the fellowship offering was that *the layman was invited to participate in the eating of the sacrificial victim.

Due to this fact alone it was essential that additional information be given to the priest about the carrying out of this unique offering*.

The first type of fellowship offering that is discussed is the */tôdâ/ *(“*expression of thankfulness*”).246

This voluntary offering was given as an expression of gratitude to God for his intervention, particularly for deliverance from peril.247[2]

 

*The relevance of the ‘thanksgiving offering’ is threefold: *

I.  *Expresses our /relationship/ with God* — (v.

13)/“…he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the *sacrifice of thanksgiving* of his *peace-*/

      ÆDistinct from the required sin and guilt offerings, the sacrifice of thanksgiving was a *voluntary peace offering*, made as an _expression of gratitude to God for His blessings (cf.

*Psalm 107:21* *"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 22 "Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing."*

(NKJV) ).

*      *A.

There cannot be true thanksgiving to God until there is first true peace with God.

If anyone lacks a thankful heart before God there is something wrong with their relationship with God.

B.

*How do we have peace with God?*

           1*.

Only Through P.R. Christ* - Romans 5:1 says, */“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”/** *

           2.

We have peace with God because *Jesus Christ is our sin offering*, in that, */“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”/** (2 Cor.

5:21).

*

                       3.

*Confessed Sin* – 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

(NKJV)  *Only then can we have true peace with God.

…*

*/Peace offerings were of three kinds/**: 1. Thank offerings.

2. Freewill offerings.

3. Offerings for vows.*

(Leviticus 7:12, 16) The peace offering might be either of the herd (cattle) or of the flock (sheep), and either male or female (Leviticus 1, 7, 12).

*The offerings were accompanied by laying of hands on the animal, and by sprinkling blood around the great altar, on which the fat and the parts accompanying were burned* (Leviticus 3:1–5).

When offered for a thanksgiving, the offering was accompanied by an offering of “cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil” (Leviticus 7:12–13).

A peculiarity of the peace offering was that the breast was waved and the shoulder *heaved (“heave offering*” from Hebrew /terumah//)/—it could mean simply *“lifted up” or just presented to the Lord* (Leviticus 7:34).

According to Jewish tradition this ceremony was performed by the parts on the hands of the offerer, then putting his hands again underneath, and then moving them in a horizontal direction for the waving, and *in a vertical direction for the heaving*.

This is believed to have been intended as a presentation of the parts to God as the supreme Ruler on earth and in heaven.

The “

[3]

 

II.

Expresses our /reliance/ upon God.

/“And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning” /(Lev.

7:15).

      A.

*URGENT* - There was an *urgency* for the offering thanksgiving.

It couldn't be left over until morning—The giving of thanks can't wait.

B*.

TRUST  God for the Outcome* - So often we want to wait to see how things turn out before we give thanks to God.

But faith trusts and testifies in the midst of all the problems... /“We know, all things work together for good to them that love God…!”/

     1.

*Faith Despite Circumstance* - This is why Paul exhorts, */“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you/*” (1 Thess.

5:18).

2.  *Reliance on Outcome* - Don't wait to see how it turns out, give thanks to God now!

Those who left over the offering of thanksgiving for a later time committed sin and were not accepted before God! (*Leviticus 7:18* "*And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be imputed to him; it shall be an abomination to him who offers it, and the person who eats of it shall bear guilt."*

(NKJV) )

III*.    Expresses our /resolve/ before God*.

/“And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it// *at your own will*”/ (Lev.

22:29).

#. *Personal Offering* – No one Can make it for you

#.  *Sincere Offering* of Trust - Personal faith in God means a sincere trust in God - of your own free will.

Sometimes our circumstances are so difficult that giving thanks to God is truly a free will sacrifice of faith, regardless of ‘feelings.’

C.

*Continual Offering* - /“By him therefore let us offer *the sacrifice of praise* to God *continually*, that is, the fruit of our lips *giving thanks *to his name//”/ (Heb.

13:15).

1.

We cannot effectively worship God unless we are prepared to offer the sacrifice of praise to God (*Psalm 100:4* *"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."*

(NKJV) ).

           2.

A complaining, critical Christian is in no position to worship God.

 

*SUMMATION*: Notice very carefully.

1.

In verse 12, the cakes and wafers were to be unleavened, whereas in verse 13, the bread was to be leavened.

Why is this when leaven is a type of evil?

2.   Because in verse 12 it is showing Christ as our peace offering.

He is without sin.

3.   In verse 13, it is the offered who gives thanks for his participation in the peace.

His sins have been forgiven and he has peace with God but there is still a sin nature within him; leaven is still present.

4.   The leavened bread was a heave offering (v.

14).

It was to be elevated toward heaven.

Just so, our hearts are to be opened to God for Him to search us and know us and to lead us in the way everlasting (*Psalm 139:23* "*Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 "And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting*."

(NKJV) ).

 

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f Lev.

3:1; 22:18, 21; Ezek.

45:15

g Lev.

2:4; Num.