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Are You Tolerant?

Sam is a friend of mine, and he is an excellent example of one man pursuing holiness. Sam standsout from the crowd as he pursues a life imitating God. One thing Sam has learned as well as many of us is that as we pursue a life of purity and holiness it requires sacrifice. Sacrifice means to give up, let go or surrender something of value for another. All of us make sacrifices for others. We sacrifice ourselves to earn a living and provide for our families. We sacrifice our time to care for our kids. We sacrifice our happiness to try everything to save a broken marriage. When finances are tight, we sacrifice buying things for ourselves so that we can give more to our kids. Each of us knows about sacrifice; sacrifice is a truth about every one of our lives whether we want it or not. God teaches us about sacrifice almost daily, but why? Why is sacrifice so important to God? All of our sacrifices should point us to a greater sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his life for you. Jesus’ sacrifice is the ultimate sacrifice and all lesser sacrifices see their fulfillment in the cross. Sacrifice is giving up something highly valued for the sake of another of greater value. Since sacrifice is at the heart of all true worship, God called Jesus to sacrifice for his children. And, we are called to sacrifice for others because of all that Christ accomplished on the cross. God teaches us about sacrifice in Leviticus. As a church, we are studying through the first five books of the Bible in 2007. Today is our second discussion on holiness as we study the book of Leviticus.

BACKGROUND: The book of Leviticus is the 3rd book of the Bible, and it was the first book a Jewish child studied. The main issue of Leviticus is how an unholy, sinful people can live in a relationship with a holy God. Consider that: how can a holy, pure God allow unholy people into his presence without becoming unholy? Leviticus provided the means to approach God. The sacrificial system of Leviticus is not instruction for establishing a relationship with God but rather for restoring and maintaining a relationship with God. The sacrificial system was for a people redeemed from Egypt and already living in a covenant relationship with God. They did not earn God’s favor or earn salvation through sacrifices. The word qados is found 152 times in Leviticus which is translated holy; holy or holiness is used 152 times throughout the book. As you recall, God led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness. During the 1st year, the tabernacle was built. In the first month of the 2nd year, God provided the Leviticus’ regulations for how to approach a holy God.

DEFINITION: Holiness is a fundamental attribute about God, not just an attribute. Holiness does not line up along side love, grace, mercy, sovereignty and so on. Holiness is connected to all of God’s attributes. Instead, when we say God is holy we mean he standsout; God is incomprehensibly unique. God is in a category all by himself – he stands out from everyone else. The Lord is holy because He stands out from creation both transcendently (apart from and above all creation) and he stands out morally (God is separate from all sin).

THE WAY FOR AN UNHOLY PERSON TO APPROACH A HOLY GOD WAS TO DO SOMETHING THAT GOD DECIDED WAS HOLY. IF YOU FAITHFULLY OBEYED GOD IN HIS HOLY WAYS YOU COULD HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

The Israelites were ALREADY in a covenant relationship with God, as God had redeemed them from Egypt through the Exodus. God paid the price to purchase these people from slavery and brought them into freedom in a relationship with Him. During this relationship, the peoples’ sin BROKE fellowship with God. Because God is holy, the question is how does an unholy, sinful, impure people continue in a relationship with God and how do they approach this God? Wouldn’t their impurity taint God’s purity? In the OT, the only way these people could approach an unapproachable God is by acknowledging this holy vs. unholy chasm through the sacrificial system. They had to have faith in God’s appointed sacrificial system as God’s means to make an unholy people holy for God’s sake. The sacrificial system was given by God, so they could continue in a relationship with God. This system expressed God’s desire to have fellowship with humankind. The main idea of chapters 1-7 in Leviticus is how God’s people approached a holy God through the sacrificial system.

Levitical Sacrifices - In the book of Leviticus, we find the detailed rules for the types of sacrifices that Israel was to make. The sacrifices were divided into two groups: (1) sacrifices with a sweet aroma and (2) those w/out a sweet aroma.

The sweet aroma sacrifices were made by people who were in relationship with God to maintain a good relationship – there was the burnt offering (Lev. 1) a cow, sheep or goat would be consumed by fire, the meal offering (Lev. 2) flour or grain some burned and some given to priests, and the peace offering (Lev. 3) another animal offering some burned for God, some to priest and some eaten by offering family. These were given at worship services as part of their giving of tithes, at a dedication and a freewill giving when the person felt directed by God to give extra. These offerings were given to praise God, to thank God and to ask help from God. When God’s people give anything to God then or now, the eternal truth is that God demands (1) we give regularly, (2) we give generously, and (3) we always give our best. God expects us to give financially a tithe or 10% is the benchmark; God expects that we give our time and talent to serve. God expects us to give sacrificially. He knows that any giving is a sacrifice – a sacrifice is when we give something of value to another because the other is more highly valued. We sacrificially give to God because he is more highly valued then keeping for ourselves

The 2nd type of sacrifices were the non-sweet smelling aroma sacrifices these were made to restore relationship with God – there was the purification/sin offering (Lev. 4) was mandatory when restitution was impossible; this could be an animal or flour sacrifice and the reparation offering (Lev. 5) an animal offering at 120% of the value. You can sin against God and against other people, both require action. An offering was made for a sin against God or against another person, provided that it was not premeditated sin. There was no offering for premeditated sin.

Sacrifice is at the heart of all true worship. Sacrifice is God’s chosen act to qualify us for participation in a relationship with a holy God. In the OT, it was not permissible to come into the presence of God without some kind of sacrificial gift. Sacrifice was the normal ritual act that symbolically expressed both the unworthiness of the worshiper and God being highly valued. This sacrificial system visibly showed that any sin must be removed before the worshiper was accepted by God. The sacrificial system was not magic or superstition; rather it was a divinely chosen method that God used to sanctify, set apart the people who desired relationship with Him. Today, God demands us to sacrifice to Him and for others. What is the sacrifice – it definitely includes finances and service to the church, but it also includes other things. Does your spiritual life reflect attempting a relationship with God without much sacrifice? We don’t sacrifice because of two reasons either (1) we don’t think God wants our sacrifice, or (2) we don’t value God more highly.

JESUS’ CROSS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LEVITICAL SYSTEM

Hebrews 10:1-6, 9-14 “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased…9Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Jesus Christ was sent to the world so that he would be offered as a SACRIFICE. Instead of us who want a relationship with God expressing our faith through a limited and sacrificial system, God graciously sent his own sacrifice. Christ’s sacrifice offers permanent holiness rather than a system where holiness had to be continually restored. God had used sacrifice throughout all human history, but Christ offered the final sacrifice. Sacrifice is necessary to approach a holy God, Christ is what you need to approach a holy God. And still today even in your holiness, God calls you to a life of sacrifice – sacrifice is giving something of value to you or others to God because he is more valuable. Don’t think you can approach God and come to church without sacrifice. Jesus said in Matthew 10, “anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matt. 10:37-39) If you want to approach a holy God, then only a life of sacrifice giving time, finances, talents to God because he is most valuable even more than your spouse, your children, your friends is what is demanded. Sacrifice is the essential ingredient of all true worship; sacrifice evidences that you treasure Christ more than family, more than yourself, more than your job, Christ is the most highly valued.

APPLICATION: AN INTENSFIED SPIRITUAL LIFE

Under the New Covenant where the sacrificial system was replaced with Jesus’ sacrifice, we find greater intimacy with God. Hebrews 10:17,19,22 “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” Under the Levitical sacrificial system, only the High Priest could enter the most holy place to offer God his sacrifice, but under the New Covenant because of Jesus’ sacrifice you and I can draw near to God. How can a sinful person draw near to a holy God? Your sins have been not only forgiven due to Christ, the Father God says that he will remember them no more. You are holy in the Father’s eyes; he has credited Jesus’ holiness to you. You are free to approach the Father with full assurance of faith.

APPLICATION: standout in TODAY’S POSTMODERN CULTURE

Our current culture is one of tolerance; that is, anything goes. Truth is determined by each person. Nothing is universally wrong, and we don’t have the right to tell another person he/she is wrong. Truth is relative to each person. So, while it may be true for you, it need not be true for them. Yet, there is only one God, and there is only one means by which we come to God because an unholy people can approach a holy God only through a sacrifice – and that is the sacrifice of Christ on a cross. John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

In our postmodern culture, many people will embrace your belief in Jesus and add it to their other religious beliefs. They will put Christ right along side Allah, Buddha, and other so-called gods. They will not judge you for your belief, and they will expect that you should be alright with them placing Christ in a category with other gods? But, it is not alright to honor any God but the one, true, holy, incomprehensibly unique God. The one true God has revealed that only through sacrifice can there by relationship with a holy God. It is only through embracing and treasuring Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that we as unholy people become holy and can relate and worship God.

Sacrifice is the heart of worship because it reveals a heart of highly valuing Christ more than self, more than children, more than spouse, more than job, and more than everything. The sacrifice that Christ calls you to is all-encompassing on our lives. Maybe you think you accepted the call of Christ yet your life reveals little sacrifice in giving of finances, in giving of time, in giving of your specialties. The call is to treasure Christ more, Jesus is most precious, most valuable, there is nothing that competes with how awesome our God is. Once God gave me the grace to value him like this, I could leave my law career, I could give above and beyond a 10% rule, I could sacrifice time necessary from family for God’s calling. Today, God’s call on your life is to follow him – following Christ means to value him more than everything so that you can give anything to obey, to worship, to treasure Him.

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