Leviticus: The Way of Peace-Filled Confidence

Good morning.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday.

49ers fans, who are we going for?

49ers?

Cheat Taylor.

You beat me to my own joke.

That's how perceptive y'all are.

I'm rooting for Taylor.

Me and my family will serve Taylor.

But we're here, so let's study the Bible.

It's our last week in Leviticus before we break for Lent, which takes us to Easter, and then we will come back in Leviticus for the rest of our lives is our path forward.

No, we'll finish Leviticus from the summer.

We've been studying these five different offerings in Leviticus 1 through 5: the burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, guilt offering.

And in chapters 1 through 5, they're all told from the point of view of the offerer, the sinner bringing the offering.

And then in chapters 6 and 7, it's switched around, and they're told from the point of view of the priest.

So we get a lot of like details and stuff like that.

And we get some repetition.

So today's a little bit of repetition.

I'm going to be summarizing a bit as well because it's two full chapters, but we're going to make our way through seven points, by the way.

So if you've ever been like, why is he always three?

He's such a three-point.

He's so predictable.

Seven.

Okay, so cancel the lunch plans.

All right, so Hebrews 11, 1 through 3.

Now, faith is the assurance, that's our key word, the assurance of things hoped for, for conviction of things not seen, for by it the people of old received their commendation.

By faith, we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Now, what we've been saying is that Hebrews is this New Testament book that helps us understand Leviticus in the Old Testament.

This word assurance there in that verse one, assurance gives us the image to stand under something stronger than ourselves.

And so point number one is this we can have peace-filled confidence because Jesus provides for us.

This is what Leviticus is telling us over and over for, it's pointing us toward.

We can have peace-filled confidence.

The word assurance can also be translated substance.

It's the image of standing under something, existing under something stronger than yourself, to be cared for and safe and provided for outside of your own performance and merit and ability.

You ever been driving down the expressway?

Maybe you're headed to Florida.

Usually this is when it happens to me.

You're headed down the expressway to Florida, and you can just see the storm in front of you, and it's a wall, right?

And you know it's coming.

So you brace and then you hit it, and it, you know, you're locked in.

Ten and two, you're leaning, nobody in the car is allowed to talk to you.

Just lean in.

And then you come to your first bridge, right?

And you come to your first bridge and you see something like this.

I just grabbed this picture online.

It's usually not that many.

Usually one or two motorcycles have found a little safe haven, right?

And they do this because it's the first bridge they've come to.

The bottom has fallen out, and they need a substance over themselves stronger than themselves to provide for them.

And in that place of provision, you have assurance.

You have a peace-filled confidence.

Not because you are strong, but because you're existing under something stronger than yourself.

That's the beautiful image we celebrated with Mabel and Henry as they went under, that they exist under a strong substance that's enough for them, this Jesus.

All right, Leviticus 6, 8 through 13.

I'll reread what Courtney read for us.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering.

The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.

And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar.

Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.

The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out.

The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.

Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually, it shall not go out.

Five times in this passage, five times, God commands the priest to make sure that the fire perpetually burns.

Over and over again, this is mentioned.

Point number two is this the burnt offering, we can have peace-filled confidence as Jesus is our perpetual forgiveness.

The fire on the altar in the tabernacle, it was ignited by God Himself.

All that is needed for us to be accepted by Him.

It is His grace to us.

And the perpetual fire is showing us that we have perpetual, forever acceptance and favor.

That we have that with the Heavenly Father because of Jesus.

Now in Leviticus 6, 14 through 23, it gives us the grain offering.

And point number three, the grain offering, we can have peace-filled confidence as our devotion to Christ is empowered by Christ.

A bit of a repeat from a few sermons ago.

The grain offering is a portion of their daily bread that they're bringing daily here for an offering.

And these people understood that everything comes from God.

This was built into who they were and how they operated.

And they're pledging themselves back to God with this daily offering.

But remember that the burnt offering came first.

So the pledging of themselves comes after God has provided the burnt offering.

Because your devotion's never enough.

And this is why we can have peace-filled confidence, is because the burnt offering comes first.

Right?

Because our devotion or our giving or our spiritual practices is never enough, it's never sustained enough or long enough or passionate enough.

We said it this way several weeks ago.

Our devotion for Christ comes through and is empowered by God's lavish provision of grace to us in Christ.

So it's us resting more fully in Christ.

And when we read that the smoke of the altar is a pleasing aroma to the Lord, we're reading that God doesn't love you and put up with you.

God actually loves and delights in you.

He adores you.

And it's not because you brought something incredible, some strength.

It's because you exist under a substance stronger than yourself.

That's where all these offerings are pointing us to our need and the sufficiency of Jesus.

Hebrews 7, 26 and 27.

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

He has no need, talking about Jesus, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

Last week I watched the documentary on Netflix, The Greatest Night and Pop.

Has anybody seen The Greatest Night and Pop?

Okay, three of us.

It's pretty good.

Obviously, it's not wonderful, or else, you know, there'd be more people.

It's about the doc the song We Are the World, 1985.

Remember, We Are the World.

We Are the Children.

We know it.

Okay, so that's what it's about.

And I didn't know a lot about this.

Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, they wrote the song, and they wrote the song with the idea they're gonna get together the best, biggest, most talented singers, pop stars at the time to record this one song on one night, and then all the proceeds from that song would always go to starvation in Africa.

Okay, so the AMA awards were coming up there in 1985 in LA, and they figured this is it, this is the chance.

How do you get this many people in one location?

And so they get 45 pop stars after the AMA awards, all to go to one recording studio, and they show up there one night, they have one night, one night, to learn this song and record.

And we're talking, I mean, Kenny Rogers is there, the gambler, right?

I mean, Willie Nelson, Cindy Lopper, Bob Dylan, Stevie One, the boss was there.

I mean, everybody who was big, mid-80s, was in this room.

And they had one night to learn it and record it.

And we know, we know it forever, right?

I mean, you know this song.

What's it been 40 years?

And we know this song.

One night for all those people, one night, right?

So it's just once for all, is where I'm getting.

You kind of smelt it a little bit, I was headed there, right?

Once for all, right?

One night, you get that much talent and power in one room, and then the wake of that, of what's possible.

And that gives us just a little bit of an idea of the power of Jesus once for all.

That this one event can create that much provision for us.

That it's enough.

Once for all, it's enough.

We don't we don't have to add to it, we don't need another one.

The perpetual need for offerings by the sinner, by us, is replaced by the once for all Jesus.

We could say it this way: perpetual religion is replaced by perpetual forgiveness in Jesus.

Because once for all.

It's interesting that this grain offering, that the priest would take some of it for their own provision to eat, for them to live.

For the people that worked in the tent and then later in the temple, that this is how they lived.

And this is where we get point number four.

God provides for the church through the giving of his people.

It was just built in, just part of spiritual life.

It was never questioned that you took a portion of your provision and you gave it to your spiritual community.

The church has a people and a place, a movement, priestly and pastoral leadership to the church, but also to society.

All of this exists and will continue to exist only out of the generosity of the people of the church.

Just to inform there's no secret endowment funding all the churches of the world.

If you know about it, please let me know.

I would I'm love to get a part of this.

It doesn't exist.

It doesn't exist.

So here's our prayer.

Heavenly Father, and this is my prayer for myself, help me to grow in the freedom to joyfully and generously support my spiritual home.

That is not guilt and obligation, that is freedom, joy, and generosity.

The future and the flourishing of any church, any and every church in this world, is not on the few wealthy, is on each spiritual person bringing their grain offering to their spiritual home.

Leviticus 6, 24 through 30 is about the sin offering.

So point number five is the sin offering.

In Jesus, we are forever forgiven, even for our unintentional sins.

So the stuff you've already, you messed up, you don't even know, right?

You don't even know how you burned somebody, you did something, you're not even aware of it, and you did it.

Like you're even forgiven for that which you're unaware of at this point.

Hebrews helps to explain.

I'll read Hebrews 8, 1 through 7.

Listen to all the tie-in from Leviticus.

Now, the point in what we are saying is this we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent.

Remember, this is where this is going on in Leviticus.

The priest is going into the tent to make these sacrifices.

In the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices.

That is net thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.

Now, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.

They serve a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things.

For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old, as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

The first covenant, perpetual religion, it's pointing us to our need of God's grace to us.

The problem with the first covenant is us, the offerer.

Like we are the problem that we have to maintain it.

We're not capable of that.

So our assurance is not because we give all of ourselves so perfectly, but because Jesus gave all of himself for us.

And that's what we stand under.

That's our assurance, peace, fold, confidence, that we stand under that.

We exist under that.

Leviticus 7 takes us into the guilt offering.

Point number six, the guilt offering.

In Jesus, we are forever forgiven, even for our intentional sins.

So we're forgiven of the stuff we didn't know we did, and we did it, we're forgiven.

And then the stuff you just you meant to do it.

You knew it, you did it, you went for it, did it, maybe you feel bad, maybe you don't feel bad yet.

You know, you're forgiven even of that, of your intentional sins.

And throughout 6 and 7, if you read it later, it's just all this repetition.

You start to feel this repetition.

And the repetition itself is a lesson.

God is saying something like, I'm holy, your sin is destructive and serious, and his grace is astonishing and real.

The last offering, the peace offering in Leviticus 7, 11 through 27.

I'll read verses 22 through 27.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat of ox or sheep or goat, the fat of an animal that dies of itself, and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it.

For every person who eats of the fat of an animal, of which a food offering may be made to the Lord, shall be cut off from his people.

Moreover, you shall eat no blood, whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places, whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.

Do you remember Leviticus 3.16, our new life verse?

Do you remember this?

All fat is the Lord's, right?

Amen.

We're really embracing that as a people.

We knew John 3.16.

Who knew the Old Testament had so equally, equally um.

So blood belongs to God, and fat belongs to God.

I mean, this is the kind of stuff where you read the Bible and you're like, I think I was just gonna like give my life to something else.

Like, this is like what?

What am I a part of?

This is crazy.

Well, it's it's symbolizing something, okay?

And here's what it symbolizes the fat symbolize the best part of the animal.

So the best belongs to God.

And the blood symbolized life itself.

So life itself belongs to God.

We have a creator, we have a beginner.

And it all begins with God.

Point number seven is this about the peace offering.

Jesus creates peace and gratefulness in our volatile hearts.

So there's no wedge, there's no shame, there's no condemnation.

The people, this peace offering, the people would make this offering, and then part of it they would go and have a big meal together.

And it's the image that Jesus calls us to of communion, the meal that we partake in, right?

We come forward each week with empty hands.

We're not bringing our own strength, we're bringing our need.

And yet we have peace-filled confidence because it is about the provision given to us, it's not about the strength that we bring.

Do you remember our nerdy Leviticus chart?

R.K.

Campbell's.

Has anybody been getting into it?

No, you have not.

It's okay.

It's okay.

Just me.

Five offerings.

There's little notes on this Campbell chart.

If you remember a couple sermons ago, uh I was at the end of the sermon, I was way into this Leviticus chart, and um I was like, hey, can we just like imagine you know, Campbell?

He's studying this, he's charting it out, and then and I missed, I missed it.

I missed something.

Turns out y'all are listening.

I didn't know that.

Um sometimes I don't know.

Right now, I don't even I'm not sure.

Maybe you maybe you're listening, maybe you're not.

I'm not really positive.

Either way, I just keep talking.

But I got two emails.

Some of some of you caught it.

Did anybody else catch it?

Just a moment of honesty.

Can we just say did you catch it a few summers ago?

Yes, you did.

Y'all are so kind and gracious.

You just let me go on, just let it go.

But if a couple of you let me know, and I appreciate it.

It does not say sweet savior, does it?

Do you see it?

British people like a you.

They like to throw in an extra U.

Campbell's British.

It says sweet savour.

Okay.

See, you already knew this.

Like, you've been you've been fine.

I discovered this this week.

So here's what Campbell is saying.

God's grace for us through the sufficient offering is a sweet savor to God Himself.

God savors, he relishes in the offering.

So I thought about this this week as uh my little girl's birthday, and I had to run to get some chicken salad chick for her for her birthday.

And so, you know, hit up a fancy Nancy home goods with middle-aged Kinesaw women just hitting that up.

And so show up to the counter.

And have you been there lately?

Do you know what's on the counter now?

Right in the middle of the counter?

Cake.

I don't know if they bought the bakery a piece of cake.

I don't know if they partnered, but there's a pile now in the middle of the counter, chicken snow chick, of a piece of, and I know about a piece of cake, the bakery.

Okay?

I used to get that cake every year for my birthday, and I'm excited.

It's$6 a piece.

I don't care.

They could charge$12.

It doesn't, it does, it doesn't matter.

Like, I'm gonna buy it.

It was 10:30 in the morning, and I bought a piece, and then I sat in my truck and I ate half of it.

Because all fat is the Lord's.

So it's okay.

What was I doing in in my truck all by myself at 10:30 in the morning eating cake?

I was savoring it, wasn't I?

Yes, every bite.

It was it was amazing, it was wonderful.

It's the same thing you do when you get like your favorite brownie, or you know, you're a steak guy, you get a steak.

I mean, like you just every bite, you just sit, you relish it, right?

So back to the Leviticus chart.

All this, these offerings, they're all pointing us to Jesus.

So sweet savor for sure.

Okay, I'll still like defend myself a little bit.

But Campbell's saying, Campbell is saying, sweet savor.

And Leviticus helps us see how lovely and sufficient Jesus is.

And the Father savors the Son.

And that's good theology.

But it's really good news also because it means that the Son is enough.

And because of that, the Father savors you.

And you may come empty-handed, but it's okay.

Because Jesus is enough for you.

Let's pray together.

Jesus, thank you that you are enough and that the Heavenly Father sees us through you.

Heavenly Father, thank you that you do not see us with disappointment or condemnation or let down, but that you see us through your wonderful grace that we know in Jesus, and that you see us as perfect as Jesus was.

And that you are enough for all of our sin and all of our mistakes and all of our goodness that is out of messed up motive.

That you see us as righteous and perfect and beloved and worthy.

Would you help us to rest more fully in your grace to us?

Would you help us to exist and live under this strength?

And that you are the strongest substance.

Jesus is Christ once for all.

Amen.