Bible Reading: Leviticus chapter 5 verses 1 to chapter 6 verse 7.
(1). The name of the offering.
(2). The items of the offering.
(3). The reason for the offering.
(4). The fulfilment of the offering.
Ill:
Silly UK Laws - Did you know…
• It's illegal to stand sockless within 100 yards of the Queen.
• Thanks to a law enacted by Edward VI, between 1547 and 1553, it's illegal to stand sockless within 100 yards of the Queen.
• Anyone found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end could be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks
• Thanks to Edward VI, anyone found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end could be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks.
• It is illegal to drop dead in the Houses of Parliament.
• It is illegal to drop dead in Parliament, according to the 1887 Coroners Act, which was 're-enacted' by the 1988 Coroners Act.
• It is illegal to eat mince pies anywhere in England on Christmas Day.
• Thanks to Oliver Cromwell who considered pies a forbidden pagan pleasure and on December 22, 1657, his Puritan Council banned consumption of mince pies on Christmas Day.
• It is illegal to hail a black cab as it speeds towards you, with its yellow 'for hire' light on.
• According to the strict letter of the 1843 London Hackney Carriage Act, London cabbies are only allowed to seek custom when they're stationary.
• TRANSITION:
• When you read the book of Leviticus you may feel it has some silly or pointless laws.
• On first reading that may be the case,
• But when you slow down and ponder them, there is a good reason and logic to them.
• The Israelite people would benefit from keeping them,
• And you and I will appreciate Jesus more and more as we study them.
Now remember that the Bible is a collection of books that complement one another.
• 39 in the Old Testament,
• 27 in the New Testament.
• 66 books in total.
Leviticus is the third book of the Old Testament and continues to unpack a story.
• e.g., Genesis answers the question,
• Of how God will provide Abraham the descendants he promised.
• e.g., Exodus answers the question,
• Of how God will redeem Abraham’s descendants out of slavery,
• In order to bring them to the Promised Land.
• Sadly, those ancestors (the nation of Israel) struggled with sin and especially idolatry,
• And that throws up a key question, “How can a holy God relate to sinful people?”
• Leviticus answers that question.
• It shows us the seriousness of sin and the importance and cost of forgiveness.
Review:
• The book of Leviticus starts with five offerings or sacrifices.
• We need to think sanctification as we read this book,
• Sanctification the action of making or declaring something holy.
• That is the point of this book,
• So don’t be preoccupied with the sacrifices.
• Remember everything dies, every single thing on this earth dies,
• And everything on the earth eats something that had to die every single day!
• This is the world in which we live!
• One day we are going to a place where this will not be the case,
• But until we get there this is where we are at!
• So think sanctification as we read this book,
• The book of Leviticus starts with five offerings or sacrifices.
• We have looked at four of them.
• Let me give you a very quick reminder and leave you with a key word for each offering.
#1: The Burnt Offering.
• The Key word: Cover.
• The purpose: to cover the offender’s unholiness & make him acceptable in God’s presence.
• e.g., perfume or deodorant can cover a person’s body odour.
#2: The Grain/Meal/Cereal Offering
• Key word: Remember.
• The purpose: to remember the covenant made between God and his people Israel.
• e.g., sealed with salt – symbolizes it is meant to be perpetual, incorruptible and enduring.
#3: The Peace/Fellowship Offering.
• Key word: Fellowship.
• The purpose: to eat a covenant meal in fellowship with God.
• e.g., Sharing a meal often denotes friendship between people.
#4: The Purification/Sin Offering.
• Key word: Decontamination.
• The purpose: to remove that which is unholy/unclean.
• e.g., Covid has taught us the importance of cleaning/washing hands etc.
#5: The Trespass/Guilt Offering (Restitution).
• The Purpose: to repay debts caused by our wrong or sinful actions,
• e.g., Playing cricket in the garden and I hit a ball that flies over the garden fence,
• And smashes a neighbour’s window – I will need to pay for a new pane of glass.
• Restitution is the idea behind this offering.
Ill:
• How many of you watch the BBC programme, ‘The Repair Shop’?
• If you have not seen the programme the format is simple,
• Some of Britain's most skilled restoration experts,
• Breathe new life into much-cherished family heirlooms,
• That are dropped off by members of the public,
• Who reveal the personal stories behind the items?
• TRANSITION: God is in the restoration business,
• God can take all the broken pieces of our lives,
• And reassemble them into something beautiful.
• He is the master restorer!
• e.g. Psalm 23, “He restores my soul”
• e.g. Psalm 51, “Restore to me the joy of my salvation”
• e.g. Joel 2, “He will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten.”
• e.g. 1 Peter 5 “And the God of all grace…after you have suffered a short while…will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast”
(1). The name of the offering.
• As with the other offerings so far in Leviticus.
• This offering also has various names,
• ‘The Guilt Offering, The Trespass Offering or the Reparation Offering’.
• All three English words paint a good word picture of what we’re dealing with,
• I’m sticking with “The Trespass” offering just because it is an image easy to understand.
Ill:
• Everyone here will have seen a sign saying, “No Trespassing,”
• Which mean of course, you have invaded on the property or the rights of others.
• e.g., show a few funny “No Trespassing,” signs.
Quote:
• Woody Guthrie was an American songwriter and folk musician
• He has a great line in his song, ‘This land is your land,’
“As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me!”
• TRANSITION:
• It’s a great line and it would be great if we could go wherever we wanted to,
• But we all know that is not possible.
• To enter someone’s private property uninvited can be trespassing.
• A trespass can occur against God or against other people.
• And when we trespass/are at fault/wrong or injure another person,
• That trespass is also against God.
• Although the words sin & trespass are inter-changeable they are different.
• The word sin seems to refer to the DOING of the wrong act,
• The word trespass seems to refer to the RESULT of that wrong act,
(2). The items of the offering.
• The animals and items that could be offered in this offering vary.
• And that variation means no-one need be excluded.
• The rich could afford the Rams, goats & sheep,
• But even the poorest of the poor could afford flour option.
• These varied offerings (lambs, goats, pigeons or wheat).
• Allowed anyone to find forgiveness through their offering.
• This typifies the death of Jesus in that all can find forgiveness.
• i.e. He died between two thieves (poor).
• But he was buried in a rich man’s tomb (wealthy).
• All can find forgiveness in him.
The animals and items were:
• Verse 6 mention female lamb or goat
• (these animals were the most expensive offering).
• Verse 7-10) mention birds,
• If you could not afford an animal, you could bring two doves or two young pigeons.
• Verses 11-13: mentions flour
• If you were very poor this was the least expensive offering.
• Now those of you who are sharp might be thinking,
• How can God accept that grain offering when he has said,
• “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins?”
• The answer is that the flour was put on the fire of the altar with blood on it.
• So, God valued it as an animal sacrifice.
• Because it was placed on that blood-stained altar.
• One more animal is mentioned in verses 16-18,
• It mentions a ram without defect as a sacrifice for being unfaithful to the Lord.
• A more serious offence requires a more costly sacrifice.
ill:
• Les Hardwick was a preacher in the Midlands,
• I remember one of his talks where he used this illustration.
• When the film, ‘Jesus’ (also known as The Jesus Film) was released in 1979,
• It was shown in cinemas around the UK.
• A leader in Les Hardwick’s Church stood up to give out the notices,
• He encouraged people to support the film and go and see it at their local cinema.
• But then he added these words,
• “The death scene is unpleasant, and I hope you will not be to upset by it.”
• Les then said, that morning they had a visiting preacher from the local Baptist Church,
• Leading and preaching at the service.
• When all the notices had been given out and he stood in the pulpit he said,
• “I hope you will all be very upset by the crucifixion scenes in the film.”
• And went on to make the point that these things portrayed should upset us!
• TRANSITION: That is what Leviticus brings home to us with each offering,
• An innocent animal or birds’ life is taken because of our sin,
• And that should upset us and bring home the significance of sin and forgiveness.
Note: Restitution is important in this offering.
• When someone was convicted of their sin,
• They were required to confess their sin to the one they sinned against and to God (vs 5-6),
• They were also to restore what was damaged in full plus twenty percent (vs 16)
• “They must… pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value and give it all to the priest”
• (Chapter 6 verses 1-5 also expand on this).
• The principle is full replacement plus a double tithe (20%).
Ill:
• Remember the story of Zacchaeus the tax-collector (Luke chapter 19 verses 1-9).
• The cheat who had overcharged people to make his fortune.
• When he met Jesus, he gave back four times what he had stolen.
• In his repentance he gave 20% reparation.
• No wonder Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house.”
• The repentance did not save him but was evidence that he was saved!
(3). The reason for the offering.
FIRST: Withholding evidence (vs 1),
‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.
• Withholding evidence
• Specifically, being a witness and not saying everything you know
• e.g., Today we might say, “I saw what happened and I am a witness, but I don’t want to get involved.”
• The person who does this commits a sin of omission.
• A person or thing that has been left out or excluded.
• e.g., On the news item we might hear, "there are glaring omissions in the report"
Ill:
• You might remember that when Jesus was on trial, he was quiet.
• (Matthew chapter 26 verses 63-64).
• But, when he was put under oath, he broke his silence
• Under oath, Jesus did not hold his peace.
• When he was a witness, he told the truth and the whole truth.
SECOND: Touching something unclean (vs 2-3),
“
“‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt; or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt;”
• Touching something unclean (vs 2-3),
• e.g., touching the dead body of a dead animal would make you ceremonially unclean.
• e.g., If you touched the limb of someone who had leprosy,
Ill:
• This week saw the 202nd birthday of Florence Nightingale.
• (Born: 12 May 1820 in Florence, Italy.)
• In her book Notes on Nursing (1860), she wrote that:
• “Every nurse ought to be careful to wash her hands very frequently during the day.”
• Demonstrating an early awareness of the effectiveness of this simple procedure.
• TRANSITION: These laws regarding touching dead carcasses & biological infections,
• Would have helped the Israelite people,
• From preventing and spreading diseases & help maintain the health of the people.
THIRD: Rash oath making (vs 4).
“or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt”
• Some people have trouble with their tongues!
• This sin involves careless speech, particularly making impetuous oaths.
Ill:
• Arabella Young Born 1742 Died 1771 aged 29 years.
• She is buried in Hampshire, but Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA not the UK.
• Written on her gravestone is the following verse.
“Here lies as silent clay Miss Arabella Young,
Who on the 21st of May 1771 First began to hold her tongue.”
• TRANSITION: Some people have trouble with their tongues!
• This sin involves careless speech.
• It also includes making an impetuous oath.
• e.g., In Judges chapter 11 we read about Jephthah was one of the heroic judges of Israel
• But if you know the story, he is also a tragic character of the Old Testament.
• Tragic because Jephthah made an unnecessary vow that affected his daughter and family.
• The lesson is… “be slow to speak” (James chapter 1 verse 19.)
The Resonse:
• When these laws were broken, an offering was needed to put things right.
• Verses 6-13 explains what offering and how it was to be presented and sacrificed.
FOURTH: breaking the commandments (chapter 5 verse 15 to chapter 6 verse 7).
• These verses divide into three areas.
• (a). Sinning against holy things (5:14-16)
• (b). Sinning against commandments of God (5:17-19
• (c). Sinning against your neighbour (6:1-7).
(A). SINNING AGAINST HOLY THINGS (5:14-16).
Verse 15:
“When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally (inadvertently) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things,”
• We assume (we are not actually told),
• We assume that with so many ‘doses & don’ts’ to remember,
• That on occasions the worshipper got things wrong,
• And the worshipper soon learnt the lesson that mistakes are costly!
Ill:
• Those of you who have allergies (e.g., Penny Gluten free, Samuel allergic to peanuts),
• They know the dangers of eating by mistake the wrong food.
• It can easily be done, and unpleasant and sometimes dangerous results may follow that act.
• TRANSITION: With all the rules and regulations that the Israelites were given,
• Mistakes were bound to happen and when those mistakes were realized,
The Resonse:
• And an offering was needed to put things right.
• Verses 15-16 explains what offering and how it was to be presented and sacrificed.
• And what restitution the person was also required to pay.
(B). SINNING AGAINST COMMANDMENTS OF GOD (5:17-19).
Verse 17:
“If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible…”
• I mentioned last week that ignorance of the law is no excuse to break it.
• That is true in every society.
• e.g., if you go to Saudi Arabia and drink alcohol in a public place.
• You will be arrested and punished severely, whether you knew that law or not
• “Ignorance of the law" is not an excuse!
The Resonse:
• And an offering was needed to put things right.
• Verses 18 explains what offering and how it was to be presented and sacrificed.
(C). SINNING AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOUR (6:1-7),
Verse 1-2b:
“The Lord said to Moses: “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about…”
• Verses 1-3 mention six ways you can trespass against your neighbour.
• Deceiving your neighbour.
• Cheating your neighbour.
• Stealing from your neighbour.
• Defrauding your neighbour.
• Misleadingly keeping something from your neighbour.
• Swearing falsely against your neighbour.
• In each case the distinctive feature is the misuse of something that belonged to another.
• We are told that the trespass against another person was also a trespass against the Lord.
• Verse 2 TLB: “If anyone sins against ME by…”
The Resonse:
• And an offering was needed to put things right.
• Verses 6-7 explains what offering and how it was to be presented and sacrificed.
• And what restitution the person was also required to pay (5:15)..
(4). The Fulfilment of the offering.
• As Christians we no longer make these sacrifices and offerings.
• For us Jesus is the fulfillment of this sacrifice.
• In the Old Testament book of Isaiah and chapter 53,
• An interesting phrase is used.
• This chapter is all about the Messiah/the Suffering Servant (Jesus),
• Seven times the New Testament Quotes Isaiah 53 in regards to Jesus.
• (Six passages of Scripture contain the seven quotations)
• Matthew chapter 8 verses 14-17.
• John chapter 12:37-41.
• Luke chapter 22 verses 35-38.
• 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 19-25.
• Acts chapter 8 verses 26-35.
• Romans chapter 10 verses 11-21.
• So this chapter is all about the Messiah/Jesus,
• And the language used is deliberate and meaningful,
• Jesus would become our Reparation/Guilt Offering (vs 10)
“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an OFFERING FOR SIN,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.”
Amplified Bible
“Yet the LORD was willing To crush Him, causing Him to suffer; If He would give Himself as a guilt offering [an atonement for sin], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, And the will (good pleasure) of the LORD shall succeed and prosper in His hand.”
JPS Tanakh 1917 (the most widely read translation of the Hebrew (Jewish) Bible):
“Yet it pleased the LORD to crush him by disease; To see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, That he might see his seed, prolong his days, And that the purpose of the LORD might prosper by his hand:”
Quote:
W. E. Sangster was born in 1900 was a great British Methodist preacher,
He once wrote concerning Jesus’ death:
"If He was a man, it was murder; if He was God, it was an offering.
If He was man, it was martyrdom;
if He was God, it was sacrifice.
If He was man, they took his life from Him;
if He was God, He laid it down Himself.
If He was man, we are called to admiration;
if He was God, we are called to adoration.
If He was man, we must stand up and take our hats off;
if He was God, we must fall down and give Him our hearts."
SERMON AUDIO:
https://youtu.be/MH7hVp0F7OQ
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/MH7hVp0F7OQ
