Fellowship With God Requires Sacrifice

Text: Book of Leviticus Chapters 1-10

Focus: Chapter 9 and if time allows part of Chapter 10:

Today we will begin a three week study of the Book of Leviticus. This not near enough time to cover this great Book of the Bible.

We know this world we live in today is seeking more about “Happiness” and  not much about Holiness”.

We all want Jesus to solve all our problems and we want Him to carry all our burdens.

BUT We simply do not want Him (Jesus) to control our everyday lives!

But, The truth is, that to be a Holy People is God’s goal for us!

**The Book of Leviticus uses the word “Holy” 91 times.

8 different times, the Bible tells us to be Holy because Our Lord is Holy.

If we want to learn about Holiness then a good place to start would be the Book of Leviticus!

In God’s Heaven, Holiness is not a luxury, IT IS A NECCESSITY!

Any soul that could possibly slip into Heaven unholy, would immediatly perish at the presence of God because GOD IS HOLY!

God tells us we must be Holy!

This is not a request, it as a command! 

It is not for us to decide amongst ourselves!

The Bible commands us in the Book of first Peter:

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

**God has a plan that will make each one of us holy, if we will trust in Him.

This is called “Faith” and without “Faith we cannot please God.(Hebrews 11:6)

The Book of Leviticus also tells us how to lead clean lives.

The word clean is used 71 times and God uses the word “unclean” 128 times in this one book.

This book may have been written for the Jewish Priest and we must rightly divide the Bible but guess what, every child of God is then a priest if we have “Faith”:

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, [an holy priesthood], to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1Pe 2:9  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:
1Pe 2:10  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.

There is not a better verse in the Bible that tells us who are the true people of God than this verse!

**God wants us all to be happy but He tells us we will never be happy until we are Holy!

This means as we grow to be more like Jesus our happiness will increase proportionately!

The Apostle Paul tells us:

Act 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, [so that I might finish my course with joy], and the ministry, [which I have received of the Lord Jesus], to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

You see, even our joy, and even our happiness, comes from The Lord Jesus Christ!

Believe it or not the Book of Leviticus is referred to in the New Testament at least 100 times.
 
And we know the Bible tells us that:

2Ti 3:16  [All scripture] is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  [That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works].

This verse could have said “that the true people of God may be perfect, furnished unto good works”.

This describes a Holy People!

We need to study the Book of Leviticus, just as we should study all God’s Word, to know more about Jesus, because we can see Him in this book to a far greater extent than we know.

1.) What does the word Holiness mean:

First, we know that our God, is a God of love and the Bible is God’s “love letter” to all that believe “But” the main emphasis of the Bible is “Holiness” even more than “love”!

We should get one thing straight:

God told Moses:

Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

John the Apostle said:

Joh 1:18  ([No man] hath seen God at any time); the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Any “love” without “the holiness of God” would be harmful to the “body of Christ”!

When we apply this to human beings we should see that:

Holiness is purity of heart!

Holiness is being set apart from those that are lost, in this world we live in!

Holiness is being affectionate toward all, especially toward our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Holiness is moral goodness, Holiness is not having immoral lives!

Holiness is being in love with Christ Jesus!

BUT, Holiness it is “not” the act of being perfect!

We can never be perfect as long as we live in these bodies of flesh!

The word “Holy” as used by Moses means, “that which is set apart”!

We are to live at a higher standard, than we did when we were lost!

The New Testament tells us all:

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
 
This is an act of Holiness!

This where we begin our walk with the Lord!

If we cannot come out from our old sin nature we had before we were saved then, WE HAVE NOT BEGAN OUR WALK OF HOLINESS, WITH THE LORD!

Just as God is the Holy One of Israel, Our Lord Jesus is the Holy One of the Church!

We begin our walk of holiness when we walk in the shadow of Jesus being “cleansed” from all sin with His Blood!

The Apostle John wrote to us:

1 John 1:7 [But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light], we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Jesus is our only advocate in Heaven:

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, [we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous]:
1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus Christ is our High Priest:

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: [We have such an high priest], who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Jesus is our Lawyer, our Advocate in Heaven:

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, [who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us].

We see in the Book of Leviticus, only a shadow of what we as Christians will see, in the Bright Light of Jesus our Lord.

As Christians we must know what to be Holy really means!

We must know what it is to be clean!

We must know what it takes to defile us!

Charles Spurgeon a preacher from our past wrote these words:

He said [An unholy church is of no use to the world!]

He said [Hell laughs at the unholy church!]

He said [The church is a nuisance when it is unholy!]

And he said [The worst evil which have ever come upon this world where brought upon it by an unholy church!]

We can see the truth of this everyday. All we have to do is watch the six oclock news and see that so called Christians are doing unholy things!

We just recently witnessed a so called Baptist Church protesting the burial of a fallen soldier. Their signs said “God Hates”.

We know God is a God of Love, so where do they get their doctrine?

Most men of God that preach the truth would confirm that Our God is a God of Love and a God of Holiness even in this day live.

This is what the Word of God is saying!

This is the truth of the Bible!

We live in the “Age of the Laodicean Church” spoken about in the Book of Revelation, and if we open our eyes we can see this is also true!

**Our Sunday School lessons do not go as deep into the Book of Leviticus as we should but we all know we need to study our Bibles.

*****Our Text:

Lev 9:1  And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel;
Lev 9:2  And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD.
Lev 9:3  And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering;
Lev 9:4  Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you.

It should be obvious, as we study the Book of Leviticus, that God is closest to those that are obedient!

We have to offer up our faith in Jesus Christ, to be acceptable to God!

Heb 11:6 says:  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Without our faith we have no sacrifice acceptable to God to offer!

And it should also be obvious, that God does not ordain His priest to be idle!

Aaron and his sons immediately began the priesthood after they were ordained.

The child of God should begin his priesthood immediately after being saved!

Preacher Sam always says, God did not give us the Holy Spirit for our “enjoyment” but He gave us the Holy Spirit for our “employment”.

It is Jesus our Lord that laid out the work we must do:

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This does not mean we are all to be foreign missionaries. This means our mission field is the place and the surroundings God has placed us and the family that we love!

Aaron and his sons had obeyed God’s commandments, up to this point, so when the week was over they were ready to serve the Lord at the altar on the eighth day.

To all those that want to pin down Saturday as the day of the Sabbath, this eighth day would be Sunday by the calender that we use.(The Roman Calendar)

In actuality the Jew did not use the Roman calendar until they were forced to by Rome when they were defeated.

The Sabbath was just the seventh day and the next day was just the eighth day BUT it was on the eighth day that Jesus rose out of that grave.

This is why the early church chose Sunday as the day to assemble to worship.

What ever day that has been chosen to assemble is the day we are to be with our brothers and sisters and to worship Our Lord!

But, Every individual is to worship the Lord daily the Church, the Body of Christ, is not to be pinned down to one day of worship!

**Aaron and his sons had to first offer up sacrifices for them selves before they could offer up sacrifices for the children of Israel.

They offered up a bull calf.

Their sin was sent off in a male lamb. (The Scape Goat)

They offered another lamb and a RAM for a burnt offering.

Only After this, could they offer burnt offerings on the altar every morning and every evening.

The Bible says:

Exo 29:39  The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

Exo 29:42  This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

What we see is that, every day had to begin and end with a total consecration to the Lord!

As New Testament Christians, we should begin our day and end our day with the Lord!

Our sacrifices are our prayers of faith and our bodies, for a living sacrifice,like that (scape goat)!

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

The Lord Jesus only had to give of Himself one time for our sin and His sacrifice is credited for our sin forevermore!

The Bible says:

Heb 7:27  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Jesus is therefore, our eternal High Priest!

If Jesus Christ were on this earth today He would not be our High Priest.

He is our High Priest in Heaven in the Tabernacle not made by hands but made of God.

While Jesus is at the right hand of God, it is the time of the Church Age!

This time will soon end at the “Rapture” of the Church and that will be the end of  the Church Age!

If Jesus were on this earth today He would be King, the King of this World, and a Warrior King to bring peace by “the rod of understanding”!

Pro 10:13  In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

In Heaven we have a perfect and complete High Priest and because of this He is the author of eternal salvation unto all(whosoever will) that believe on Him!

We come to the Lord empty of righteousness and full of sin!

We hold out our hands and He removes our sin and fills and seals our emptiness with His Holy Spirit!

Aaron and his sons had to offer sacrifices for the people, a goat for sin offering, a calf and a lamb for burnt offerings and also a bull calf and a ram for peace offerings.

God would never sanctify His priest without having a sanctified people!

Israel was to be different and they needed a daily reminder of their sin and how to maintain a continuing relationship with God!

This what those sacrifices were all about!

Today, our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, by His “grace” has provided a means of sanctification, a way of forgiveness, a way of dedication, and a way of fellowship, to all that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Our Text:

Lev 9:5  And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation: and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD.
Lev 9:6  And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you.
Lev 9:7  And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.
Lev 9:8  Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.
Lev 9:9  And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him: and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar:

What we see is:

1.) Aaron went to the altar and slew the calf for a sin offering for himself.

2.) Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it up on the horns of the altar and poured the remaining out at the bottom of the altar.

3.) The fat and the kidneys and the caul were burnt upon the altar.

[For those that ask, the caul is the membrane in the stomach that separates the stomach from the liver and the intestines].

4.) The flesh and the hide were burnt outside the camp.

In order for God to appear, these things had to be carried out in a precise detail!

The sin offering was made first because we cannot approach God with sin in our hearts!

To be quite honest this is the only part we play in being saved!

We provide God a body of sin, for Him to save!

This is the thing which must be settled first:

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

We should not forget that all the nations that were around Israel at this time also had priests and also made sacrifices.

They also prayed to their gods but they were not seeking salvation, they were only seeking their own  good fortune.

But none of these had never seen the glory of God, in fact they had rejected Him and glorified Him not as God and built idols.

God hates idolatry because it robs Him of the glory that is due Him and it robs God’s people of the blessings that He will share with us.

When Aaron had completed all the sacrifices, he and his sons and the people of Israel were forgiven and wholly dedicated to the Lord being able to have fellowship with Him!

**The lesson we should learn here, is that we must first deal with the sin in our lives before we can dedicate ourselves to the Lord!

The Bible still says:

Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

*****Our Text:

Lev 9:15  And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first.
Lev 9:16  And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner.
Lev 9:17  And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning.
Lev 9:18  He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about,

The ritual for the burnt offering was followed in precise detail, the High Priest had to offer for himself first!

Only then could the sin offering and the burnt offering for the people be presented!

This whole scene is a picture of Christ Jesus and the Cross!

The Prophet Isaiah wrote:

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

2Co 5:21  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.

It was Christ Jesus that was the sin offering and He was made sin!

Christ Jesus had all the sin of the entire world pressed down upon Him at one time!

1Pe 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

The meal offering followed the regular ritual and the same went for the peace offering.

Aaron [as a type of Christ] and “the advocate” of the nation of Israel, presented these sacrifices before the Lord through the shedding of “blood” of these innocent and unblemished animals.

God accepted these actions for Israel for only one year then it had to be done again.

God blessed Israel when this Day Of Atonement was done properly!

God would not allow the rituals of this day to be done improperly!

That word “Atonement” means that the sin of Israel was covered up, removed from God’s sight.

AND, A true judge will judge innocence, only when there is no evidence of guilt!

Our “Day of Atonement” is the day we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as Our Savior, and for the work He did on the Cross on Calvary’s Mountain!

*****Our Text:

Lev 9:22  And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.
Lev 9:23  And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
Lev 9:24  And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

We see that one of the privileges of the High Priest was to bless the people.

We can know that our own High Priest, Jesus Christ, also considers it a privilege to bless His Church!

**This blessing came immediately after the sacrifices.

Let’s read the blessing as Aaron said it:

Num 6:24  The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
Num 6:25  The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
Num 6:26  The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And God said:

Num 6:27  And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

This is a reminder to all that believe that there could have been [no blessings without the Cross and the shed blood of Jesus]!

The Apostle Paul wrote to the beginning Church:

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

There was also another blessing which happened along with Moses who was now the Spiritual leader of Israel.

The glory of the Lord appeared to all that were there that day:

The lesson we should learn here is that we must be in fellowship with the Lord before we are a blessing to each other!

Our Lesson does not cover chapter 10 but let’s take the time to look at this “Strange Fire” that caused such a wonderful Day of Atonement to end in tragedy.

*****Our Text:

Lev 10:1  And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
Lev 10:2  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

What we can see is that the holiness of God is set forth at the beginning of the “Age of Law” by this incident.

We can recall a similar incident that showed the holiness of God was set forth at the beginning of the “Church Age” by the incident concerning Ananias and Sapphira in the Book of Acts chapter five.

We must remember our God is Holy and we can never stand before Him if we are not a Holy People!

Our Righteousness that we need to be Holy comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ!

**And we need to understand Our God is not sitting on His throne ready to deny us into His Heaven but He does say in Hebrews:

Heb 12:28  [Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved], let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

The Bible also says:

2Co 5:11  Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord,

We should see that we still have to have a godly fear of the Lord!

We need to have a clear understanding of what God says in His Bible!

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

We cannot refuse or reject any part of the Word of God!

1.) These two men Nadad and Abihu had witnessed all these instructions of Moses, yet they did not light the incense with the coals from the Altar, “they did things their own way”.

Remember, this ceremony was the “Day Of Atonement”. This was the only day all year that the High Priest could go inside the Veil of the Holy of Holies.

This was the day when the sacrifices were for the sin of the people and their sin forgiven for that whole year. There would be no blessing to Israel without this “Day of Atonement” until a full year had passed!

What is the “Day Of Atonement” to the Church?

My “day of atonement” was the day I Got Saved!

That word “atonement” still means——At-One-ment or “at one” with Christ!

“At-0ne” with God!

**That Brazen Altar is a “Type” of the Cross.

**That Incense that was to be burnt was a “Type” of the Sinners Prayer.

Lev 16:12  And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13  And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
Lev 16:14  And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

1.) The High Priest had to take the Blood of the Sacrifice,(in type,The Lord Jesus’s Blood),
2.) The coals from the Altar, (in type, The burnt flesh of Jesus)
3.) Those were the only coals that could be used to ignite the incense (in type, The Sinners Prayer in the name of Jesus)
4.) Only then could the High Priest go before the veil. (once a year, Jesus would be only sacrificed one time because He can never die again)

The Bible says:

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

God will not accept any deviation from His plan of salvation!

Anyone that tries to have their sins forgiven in any other way will perish!

“Nadad and Abihu tried wanted their plan and in their own way”!

THIS IS STRANGE FIRE!

This the Doctrine of “Strange Fire” that is being taught in our world, that there is more than one way to get to God’s Heaven!

Salvation can only come by God’s Way!

2.) The timing of Nadad and Abihu was out of step with the God-given ritual!

**God had consumed what was left on the Altar in a show of fire.

These two boys wanted God to put on another show.

GOD IS NOT ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT!

It is God that sits on the throne and it is He that is in control!

BUT, We cannot make OUR OWN demands on God!

AND, We must be humble in our approached to God!

Before Aaron went inside the veil, he had to remove his beautiful priestly wear and put on some humble linen garments!

3.) When we do not respect the written Word of God and be doers(obedient) of the Word, we then expose ourselves to God’s wrath.

The Bible says to the Church:

1Co 11:30  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

There is a sin unto death and it is our physical death!

1Jn 5:16  If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Every child of God is Not condemned with the lost of this world But, WHEN WE WORSHIP ANY WAY WE THINK IS THE RIGHT WAY  BY, OUR OWN WILL, we will find out that God detest this kind of worship!

We can go boldly to the throne but we better come humbly and with a sincere heart!

There is still a difference in Holy and Unholy!

There is still a difference in Clean and Unclean!

There is still a difference in Godly and Ungodly!

The Apostle Peter wrote:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

The Bible says the path to those Pearly Gates are narrow and only few will find it!

It is an absolute privilege to be forgiven by God’s Grace!

We have no right to try to change the worship of God into something that is by “by our own will”.

God will not allow us to do this!

There is only one way to worship the Lord!

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

There can be no “strange fire” in the Church of the Living God!

Anyone that does not preach the entire Word of God as the truth is using “Strange Fire”!

Let’s Pray!