Offerings that Please the Lord; Sin Offering
OFFERINGS THAT PLEASE THE LORD: *
THE SIN OFFERING LEVITICUS 4: 1-10
THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS IS THE BOOK OF HOLINESS. IT IS A BOOK DETAILING THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM IN THE WORSHIP OF GOD. BECAUSE OF SIN, THERE IS SEPARATION AND IN ORDER TO RENEW FELLOWSHIP THERE WAS SACRIFICING OF BULLS, LAMBS, GOATS AND DOVE. IN CHAPTERS 1-3, THE OFFERINGS WERE VOLUNTARY, HERE IN CHAPTERS 4-5 THEY ARE COMPULSORY. WE ARE BORN IN SIN, AND ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. AND IF ISRAEL WAS TO APPROACH GOD, THERE HAD TO BE THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD. THE LESSON THEN AND NOW IS THAT SIN, EVEN UNINTENTIONAL SIN, PUTS US IN DANGER. LEVITICUS 4 RECORDS THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE...CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING;
I. THE SINS OF THE PRIEST V. 1-12 SINCE ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, IT INCLUDES THE PRIEST. THE WORD UNINTENTIONAL IN THE TEXT DENOTES ONE WHO WANDERS AWAY OR DRIFTS. EVEN THOSE WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY, PRIEST, HIGH PRIEST AND TODAY, PASTOR’S CAN LEAD OTHER ASTRAY. WHEN JESUS WAS TO BE CRUCIFIED, THE HIGH PRIEST LED THE ENTIRE NATION ASTRAY. THE APPLICATION FOR US TODAY, PRAY FOR THE PASTOR’S.
II. THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE V. 13-21 WHOLE CONGREGATIONS CAN FIND THEMSELVES IN SIN, UNKNOWINGLY OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD. THE IMPLICATION IS THAT A FEW FOLK CAN NEGATIVELY INFLUENCE ALL THE PEOPLE. JUST LIKE ACHAN’S SIN CAUSE THE ARMY TO SUFFER DEFEAT AT AI...A FEW NAY-SAYERS CAN QUENCH THE SPIRIT AND SEND THE SAINTS ON A DOWNWARD SPIRAL AWAY FROM GOD WHILE JUSTIFYING THEIR ACTIONS BY SAYING, “EVERYONE’S DOING IT” SO IT MUST BE FINE WITH GOD.
III. THE SINS OF THE LEADERS V. 22-26 THEN THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE LEADERS, EVERYONE FROM THE MINISTER TO THE DEACONS TO THE USHERS ...SIN. WHEN LEADERSHIP IS NOT SENSITIVE TO THE LORD, THE RESULT CAN BE LEADERSHIP BASED ON FEELINGS VERSUS FACTS. REMEMBER THE 10 SPIES WHO RECOMMENDED ISRAEL TURN BACK TO THE WILDERNESS OVER THE 2 SPIES WHO SAID, GOD HAS GIVEN US THE LAND.
IV. THE SINS OF THE COMMON PERSON V. 27-35 JUST AS THE PRIEST SINS, THE COMMON PERSON SINS TOO. SOMETIMES THROUGH NO FAULT OF OUR OWN, WE MISS THE MARK, CROSS THE LINE IN OUR DAILY WALK. FROM THE PRIEST TO THE PEOPLE, SIN IMPACTS US ALL. THE GREATER THE RESPONSIBILITY, THE GREATER THE IMPACT OF SIN. THE SOLUTION FOR OUR SIN IS THE CLEANSING BLOOD OF THE LAMB. THE BLOOD WAS SPRINKLED, SMEARS AND POURED OUT FOR US. “WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SINS, NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS; WHAT CAN MAKE ME WHOLE AGAIN, NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS.”
THE SIN OFFERING POINTS TO JESUS WHO
TOOK OUR MESS AND US A MASTERPIECE