In Christ Alone

*Updated

Introduction:

READ:

On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering, and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the Lord will appear to you.’ ” And they brought what Moses commanded in front of the tent of meeting, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. And Moses said, “This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and bring the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.” (Leviticus 9:1–7)

Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. (Leviticus 9:22–24)

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” And Aaron held his peace. (Leviticus 10:1–3)

Without doubt, this is a jolting, and difficult text to read. It’s like a rollercoaster, taking us to extreme heights and extreme lows in a matter of seconds. Like Charles Dickens in A Tail of Two Cities, this text throws us into both the best of times and the worst of times, both the Spring of Hope and the Winter of Despair. And if we keep reading the chapter, Leviticus 10:16 makes it clear to us that these two events happened on the very same day, perhaps back to back.

We end chapter 9 of Leviticus with a joyful celebration, God’s very presence has come to be with his people through the sacrifice offered by Aaron. But what happens next is unexpected, and unsettling, and in the span of just 4 verses we go from loud rejoicing, to haunting silence. And perhaps nothing is louder in this passage than Aaron holding his peace at the end of verse 3. The silence is deafening.

And in that silence, it’s easy for doubts, questions, and confusion to settle into our souls. Why did God do this? Is God trying to send a message, “don’t get too close lest this happen to you too.”

It’s easy for these kind of doubts and fears to creep in when we read passages like these.

But when we look again at this text, and look closer at this text, I think we see something very different this this.

God doesn’t give us this text to say “stand back, I’m dangerous. I’m unpredictable.” God’s intention is not to chase us away, but to draw us near. But this text does warn us: in our drawing near to God, we must be careful we do it his way, not our way. God desires that we draw near. But we must do it on his terms, not our own.

I think you’ll see this if we look closer at chapter 10 verse 1.

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. (Leviticus 10:1)

Do you see it there? It’s subtle, and you might miss it if you read too quickly. What is it that Nadab and Abihu brought before God? Unauthorized fire. Which the Lord had not commanded them. They marched into the presence of God, not with his sacrifice, but with theirs. And so God rejected it.

But let’s not just look closer at the text for answers, let’s take a step back as well, and consider where we’re at in the Bible’s story so far.

What did Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden? They enjoyed living in his presence, hearing his voice, speaking with him face to face. But their fellowship with God was broken, and they were forced out to live outside of the garden. But even in the midst of judgement, we find God pursuing restoration of that fellowship.

In Genesis God makes promises that this fellowship will be restored.

In Exodus God’s presence slowly gets closer to the people: first in the burning bush, then in the pillar of fire, then on top of Sinai, then God commands the people build him a tabernacle for him to live in among them. And as God dwells in the midst of his people again we have to wonder, perhaps this is the restoration that God promised. Then, in Exodus 40, God’s presence moves from the top of Sinai and into the Tabernacle,

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34–35)

In one way we read this text with excitement! God’s holy presence is once again living among the people, like in the Garden of Eden. But in another way we read it wanting more. Even Moses who met with God on top of Sinai, who saw God’s back, even he is unable to enter the tabernacle. Why is this? Because God’s direct presence is pure, and holy, and the people aren’t.

Getting the people out of Egypt was just the beginning of God’s deliverance. There is a bigger deliverance needed. Although the people have been set free in Exodus, in Leviticus they find themselves still in captivity. Not a physical captivity, but a spiritual captivity. A captivity to their own unholiness. While God’s presence is with them, they can’t enjoy it.

Why? Because God’s holiness is dangerous for a sinful people, but not because it’s bad, but because we are bad. God’s holiness isn’t the problem, our sin is. And there is no greater danger for a sinful people than the holiness of God.

How does God address this problem? With sacrifices. If you want to enter God’s presence, you can only do so through the sacrifices.

But not just any sacrifice will do. Only the one God has commanded. And this is where Nadab and Abihu went wrong. They saw how the sacrifice God commanded bridged this gap between a holy God and sinful people. And in chapter 10, they wanted to get in on the action. But instead of bridging the gap between God and man with God’s sacrifice, they chose to create their own sacrifice.

And all of a sudden we start to see the bigger picture. If just anyone can bridge the gap between God and man any way they choose, who gets the glory? Not God, man. Only God can come up with a solution for how him and his people can dwell together because only God is worthy of that glory. And this is exactly what Moses says to Aaron in verse 3,

Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” And Aaron held his peace. (Leviticus 10:3)

God alone will be glorified in saving his people from their sins. There is no room for man to receive even an ounce of credit.

Nadab and Abihu not only created their own sacrifice, they rejected God’s sacrifice as well. And if their sacrifice had worked, if they had been clever enough to create a way to bring God’s presence to the people without God’s help, who gets the credit? They do.

Do you see what’s at steak here? In the language of the Reformation, Nadab and Abihu were denying “Salvation by grace alone for the glory of God alone.” This was not a minor problem, it was a significant one.

If there’s one question this text asks us, it’s this:

Interrogative: How must God’s people approach him?

And the answer this text provides:

Prop1: God’s People must approach God his way.

How must God’s people approach him? God’s people must approach God his way. Through the sacrifice he’s provided, not their own.

Body:

Consider for a moment that wonderful sacrifice that God provided. Let’s first think about how the priests prepared for the sacrifice.

Preparation for the Offering

Look at chapter 9 verse 1. See how it begins,

“On the eighth day”

God commanded the priests spend seven days purifying themselves to enter his presence. Because it’s not a light thing to come into the presence of God.

But Nadab and Abihu, how much time did they spend in preparation? Enough time to put hot coals and incense in a censer. This doesn’t seem to be thought through. It seems to be a reaction. God comes down and consumes the sacrifice, the people rejoice, and maybe one of them looks at the other and says, “let’s find a way to keep this going.” They grab some coals, some incense, and walk thoughtlessly into the presence of God.

God provided a wonderful way of coming to him, and Nadab and Abihu, and chose their own way.

A sacrifice provided. A sacrifice rejected

Transition:

But this 7 days of purification wasn’t the only preparation needed for this sacrifice.

Explanation:

Consider the hard work needed to gather the animals for the sacrifice. A bull, a goat, a lamb, an ox, and two rams. Can you imagine being in charge of getting all these animals together?

Illustration/Explanation:

I live over by FM, about 1.5 KMs up the hill from Zeneborg. Whenever I walk down the hill, I often see young boys taking sheep, goats, and even donkeys up the hill. They have their sticks they are using to guide these animals the direction they want them to go, and it looks very difficult. One day I saw two boys driving three donkeys, and as I was getting closer I could tell something was wrong. They were grabbing for the donkeys and then, all three of them got loose. One started running up the hill, another down the hill, and another into the woods. And these poor boys were chasing these donkeys with their sticks yelling to them to come back.

Could you imagine herding not just donkeys, but a bull? and a ram? and a goat, and a lamb? Getting them all into one place so that you could kill them and offer them as a sacrifice. Oh, and you had to make sure that the goat and the lamb were unblemished. No scrapes, no cuts, no bruises. Perfect.

This sacrifice was difficult. Time and effort were required.

And these animals being offered, this is the kind of feast you would prepare for a king in the ancient world, especially the young bull. Bulls especially weren’t cheap or simple to prepare. This is food of the highest class.

Imagine the best kitfo you’ve ever eaten. This is the food of celebration, fine dining. That’s what’s being prepared.

But Nadab and Abihu? They marched boldly into the presence of God with nothing more than a smoking censer. It pales in comparison. It’s not an offering worthy of an earthly king, never mind the King of Kings.

God provided such a wonderful sacrifice, and they chose a sacrifice that took minimal thought, and minimal effort, minimal cost. A sacrifice so less wonderful than the one God had given.

A sacrifice provided. A sacrifice rejected.

Transition:

As we continue to think about the differences between these two sacrifices, let’s think not only about the preparation of the sacrifices, but the sacrifices themselves.

The Content of the Offering

What is it that God required for his offering? Actually, he required three different sacrifices, and there is an obvious logic to them.

First, there was a sacrifice for atonement of sin.

Second, there was a sacrifice celebrating the atonement.

And third, there was a sacrifice celebrating the peace between God and man these sacrifices brought.

Do you see the flow here? Atonement of sins followed by celebration for the atonement God has provided. It’s a worship service centered around receiving forgiveness of sins through sacrifice, and glorifying God for his wonderful work of forgiving the sins of his people. It was a day of sacrifice focused on unworthy sinners receiving forgiveness from a holy God. Does that sound familiar to you at all?

We might say that Israel in the wilderness was a gospel-centered church before it was cool.

But Nadab and Abihu? Their sacrifice says nothing of their sinfulness, says nothing of atonement. And, at its core, it’s not about about receiving from God; it’s about creating for God.

It doesn’t say, “look at what God has done for us! How wonderful is our God! How wonderful is that sacrifice!” Instead it says, “God, look what we have done for you. Look what we’ve made.”

Do you see the utter blasphemy here? Thinking that what we can do, what we can create, what we can build is better than what God has already provided?

God has already made a way. He’s already provided a sacrifice. He’s already said, “if you want to come to me, this is how you do it.” And men saying, “I’ve got a better idea.”

Transition:

And really, this is the core of Nadab and Abihu’s sin. This is what Moses highlights for us in the text. Look back at Leviticus 9:7.

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and bring the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.” (Leviticus 9:7)

Do you see that? It’s the sacrifice “The Lord Commanded.” Compare that to Leviticus 10:1,

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. (Leviticus 10:1)

What did they offer? A sacrifice God had not commanded, a sacrifice God had not authorized.

One sacrifice created by God. The other sacrifice created by men.

What Nadab and Abihu put at risk in bringing their own sacrifice to God was far greater than they could have realized. In coming to God according to their own terms, they were undermining a key biblical truth: Salvation is of the Lord. If Salvation is to truly be the work of God alone, it must come from him alone, not us.

They believed that they could construct a means of restoring mankind’s lost relationship with God. And God will have none of this.

Nadab and Abihu rejected God’s sacrifice. And God rejected Nadab and Abihu’s sacrifice. Why did he do this? Again, chapter 10 verse 3, because God alone will receive glory for saving his people from their sins. He alone will be seen as glorious and worthy of praise.

Transition:

So back to our question, How must God’s people approach him?

God’s people must approach God his way.

And the same is true for us today.

Yes, we don’t live in the same time as Nadab and Abihu. We don’t have sacrifices we preform. We don’t bring ox and rams to church on Sunday to make atonement for our sins.

It’s hard enough to get our children here on Sunday mornings, never mind bringing a zoo with us.

No, we do live at a very different time, but we don’t experience a very different temptation. A temptation to look to ourselves, and not to God, for right standing before God.

Because like Nadab and Abihu, God has provided a sacrifice for us, right? A sacrifice which atoned for our sins and brings us right into the very presence of God. What is that sacrifice? Its Jesus Christ. God has provided for us his Son as the greatest sacrifice for sins, a sacrifice like none other. A sacrifice that has provided everlasting access into the very presence of God.

But do we also, like Nadab and Abihu, sometime look elsewhere for our right standing before God?

Maybe we don’t come with coals and incense, but do we come sometimes with something else we’ve constructed?

Do we sometimes say, “I’m doing pretty good right now. I haven’t gotten angry in a while. I haven’t been lusting. I haven’t been with the wrong friends.” And do we look at that and say, “surely God will listen to my prayer.” “Surely I can come to church and worship with my hands raised.” “Surely I can take of the Lord’s supper.”

Friends, this is unauthorized fire. God has provided such a wonderful Sacrifice in Jesus Christ. He has provided full access to himself through the death of Christ. Let’s not settle for less.

When we think about it in this light, Nadab and Abihu weren’t much different than the people Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7,

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:22–23)

When God sees these good works, he sees lawlessness. He sees evil deeds. Why? Because any time we use our good works to try to gain access to God, its unauthorized fire, its a sacrifice he has not commanded. God has provided the great sacrifice already, and these people have rejected it for a sacrifice of their good works instead.

God’s people must approach God his way. And what way is that? How does that translate into our New Testament reality? I think we could say it like this:

How must God’s people approach him?

PROP2: Because God has provided his Son as the greatest sacrifice, we must trust in nothing but Jesus to draw near to God.

Actually, when we think about the sin of Nadab and Abihu in this light, we can see that its still alive and well in the church today. Its called legalism. Thinking that anything other than Christ makes me acceptable before God. Thinking that anything I’ve done or haven’t done makes God look at me with more pleasure than he already looks upon me because of Jesus Christ. This sin is alive and well in my culture, and I do believe that it’s alive and well in this culture too.

So let’s consider this together. First we’ll spend time considering the wonderful sacrifice God has provided for us in Jesus Christ, and then we’ll consider ways we tend to trust in ourselves more than Christ.

MP1: The Greater Sacrifice Provided

SP1: Jesus Christ: Our Perfect Sacrifice

Let us consider for a moment the perfection of Christ’s sacrifice in our place. Jesus Christ: Our Perfect Sacrifice.

If this sacrifice in Leviticus 9 took such meticulous preparation, purification, gathering the right animals, making sure the calf and the ram weren’t blemished. So much thought, so much work, to make sure everything was perfect. How much more perfect was Jesus Christ? The sacrifice that wasn’t prepared for just 7 days, but from eternity past. The sacrifice that entered time, took upon himself a human nature, and who remained perfect throughout his whole life. Jesus never committed one action which would mar his sacrifice. Not one lie. Not one lustful fantasy. Not one angry word. Not one prideful thought. Not one moment of love for the world. Not one sin, not one imperfection. Every thought, every motive, every feeling, every action of Jesus was so perfect that he could offer for us a perfect, spotless sacrifice before God the Father.

Never could the sacrifice of Christ in our place be improved upon. And he has brought to all of his people eternal forgiveness of their sins.

He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

I wonder, do you feel this forgiveness this morning, Christian? You are wholly, fully forgiven in Christ. There is not one blot of sin that stands against you. That sin you committed this morning, last week, last year, 25 years ago. Those sins that haunt you and cause you to feel condemned as you try to sleep at night. In Christ, it’s all forgiven. It’s gone. Nothing more to earn, nothing more to do.

The author to the Hebrews says it like this,

“Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is no longer any need for an offering for sins.” Hebrews 10:18

Because of Jesus Christ’s perfect, spotless sacrifice for us, there is nothing more we can do to earn a right standing before God.

But we could go deeper, the sacrifice in Leviticus 9 not only was perfect, but it was costly too. It was fine food. It was kitfo. How much more costly was the sacrifice of Christ. He who was all the joy and delight of his Father from eternity past. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, he is so precious in the eyes of the Father. He became a sacrifice for sins. And Isaiah says, it pleased the Lord to crush him.

That sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, it is precious in the eyes of God the Father. Peter says it like this

You were ransomed not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:18–19)

Christ’s sacrifice is far more valuable than silver, or gold, or diamonds, or anything we find value in. It is the most precious thing in all the universe. And because of this, there is nothing more needed for us to stand righteous before God. No work. No prayer. No gift. No deed we do for God could ever compare to the preciousness of the blood of Christ.

Oh brothers and sisters, there is no safer place to stand than under the blood of Jesus Christ. For us who have trusted in this sacrifice we find sure safety from the wrath of God. There is no condemnation for us. It is a glorious thing to dwell under the scarlet banner of the blood of Christ and say, “God cannot strike me! For he has already slain his Son in my stead.”

Through that sacrifice we have bold, confident access to come to God the Father. We are not invited to tiptoe into the throne room of God, we are invited to sprint in. We are not called into God’s presence once a year, but we are called to enjoy communion with our Father at all times. He never rejects us. He always accepts us. On our best days and on our worst days, and he always loves us. And nothing in all creation can shatter that love.

That precious sacrifice of Christ for the sins of his people cannot be denied. It pleads for our forgiveness day and night, and it is successful. And every person who trusts wholly in this sacrifice will be saved from the wrath of God. Let us look no where else, let us trust nothing else, save the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

What a wonderful sacrifice our God has provided!

Transition:

But even still, although we experience full acceptance and full forgiveness before God, there are times we forget our acceptance, do we not? There are times we forget God’s never-failing love for us.

There are times that we think, “certainly God must be disappointed in me.” “There must be more that I can do to earn his love.” “I messed up again, what can I do to make it right?”

And like Nadab and Abihu before us, we ignore God’s sacrifice, we pick up a sacrifice of our own creating, something we’ve done, and we offer to God something so far less. And we fail again to trust in the blood of Christ.

MP2: The Greater Sacrifice Rejected

And these ways we reject God’s sacrifice, they are often subtle, are they not? They aren’t as obvious as the prosperity gospel, word of faith, or Bahatawi. Those are outright, obvious rejections of the sacrifice of Christ.

But for us it’s often more easily masked, more easily disguised. Right?

And depending on our personalities, this legalism can come out in one of two ways, I think.

Imagine a Christian married couple gets into a conflict with one another. Maybe she asked him to remember something important to her and he forgot....again. And she gets angry. And she tells him she’s angry, and how thoughtless he is, and how selfish he is. And all the while he keeps his cool. He apologizes. He says he’ll try to remember next time. She’s still angry so storms off into another room while he sits down to enjoy a nice drink.

Now she’s in one room angry, he’s in the other room cool and calm. Which one of them has access to God in that moment? Which one of them is able to cry out to God for mercy, grace, and forgiveness in their marriage?

Maybe he sits there on the sofa and thinks, “I handled myself pretty good there. I didn’t get angry. I apologized. I did a good job. I’m going to ask God to help heal this wound in our marriage.” And so he prays to God for help. What is it he’s missing in that moment? Does he have access to God? Yes he does, but not because he didn’t get angry. He has access to God through Jesus Christ, and through him alone.

Or what about her. Maybe she sits on the side of the bed crying. Maybe she thinks, “how could I have gotten so angry with him? What is wrong with me? I’m in such need of help, and our marriage is in such need of God’s grace. But I don’t feel like I can talk to God about this after how I just acted.” What is she missing in that moment? Actually, believe it or not, the same thing he is. She’s just on the other side of the coin.

He feels justified in praying to God because of how he’s acted. She feels she can’t come to God because of how she’s acted. What do they both need to be reminded of? Jesus Christ. The gospel. The great sacrifice that has given them access to God. Both of them are looking inward for right standing before God when they should be looking outward to Jesus Christ.

Both in clinging to our own good works, and in shying away from God because we just feel like he would never accept us, we forget that Christ alone is our access to the Father.

Remember the words of Jesus,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Not through us, our works, our obedience, our piety. Through Jesus.

“No one comes to the Father except through Jesus.”

That’s true in our initial salvation, and that’s true every day. God has already provided access to himself through Jesus, and there’s nothing we need to do. It’s all been done already for us.

“Jesus, your mercy is all my plea. I have no defence, my guilt runs too deep. The best of my works pierced your hands and your feet. Jesus, your mercy is all my plea.”

Nadab and Abihu’s sacrifice was so much less than the one God provided. And the same is true with our good works. They could no more give us access to God than a smoking censor, unauthorized fire. Christ alone is our access. It’s true on our best days, and on our worst days. Jesus Christ, and him alone, provides fully access to God.

But let’s make this more practical. How do we tend to see this played out in our lives. What are things we tend look to instead of Christ to give us full access to our Father? I’d like to draw our attention to two primary categories. Our actions, and our feelings.

First, our actions. What we do, or don’t do.

1) Our Actions.

Do you ever feel like God is just waiting for you to mess up? Do you feel like he’s constantly disappointed in you or sits around just wishing you would do better?

Do you find that your awareness of God’s love for you is swayed by what you do, or don’t do? Maybe on good days you feel very aware of God’s love, but on bad days you feel very distant from God, and very far from his love.

Do you wonder in your heart, “what can I do to make God happy with me again?”

Or do you wonder if God is bringing difficulties into your life because you’ve fallen out of his favor? Maybe you get sick, or hurt, or hear some kind of bad news and the first thing you think is “how have I sinned?” “What have I done wrong?” “Is God punishing me for something I’ve done?”

Or maybe you’ve sinned a great sin and find yourself wholly unable to bring yourself back to God. Do you find yourself feeling so condemned by your sin that you can’t bring yourself to come to church, or pray, or read Scripture? Are you wholly discouraged because you failed again. When you find yourself inclined to pray, or read scripture, or fellowship with other believers, you feel so ashamed, you feel so condemned, you feel so wholly unable to come because you feel so strongly the weight of your sin.

Oh weary Christian, hear these words: God has provided a Sacrifice already, and God requires nothing more than Just Christ. Look to him. His righteousness is the answer, not your good deeds.

Satan wreaks equal havoc in our lives both when we succumb to his temptation to sin, and when we believe his condemning words after we sin. Our God does not desire that you stand in condemnation of yourself. He has made a way in Christ. Look nowhere else for your acceptance before God.

Transition:

Or perhaps you’re on the flip side of that. Maybe you feel, not that you wish God would accept you, but you feel strongly that he must, but not because of Christ, but because of some work that you’ve done.

Perhaps you find yourself eager to come to God in prayer, or come to church on Sunday and enjoy worshipping God because:

I didn’t get angry with my kids this week.

I’ve read my Bible every day.

I spent extended time in prayer last night.

I was tempted to look at pornography, but I resisted.

I wanted to spend money on myself, but I gave it to a beggar instead.

And because of this you think, “I know God will meet with me this Sunday.”

When you look around at the other brothers and sisters in this room, do you find yourself saying, like the Pharisee, “I’m so glad I’m not like them.” Do you compare yourself to those around you and think, “Sure, I’m not perfect, but at least I’m not like that.” Or do you say to yourself, “I’m more faithful than they are.”

When we’re singing, is there anyone here you’re more aware of than God? Do you look around during the singing and wonder, “Why does that person has their hands raised? I know what they are really like.” Or maybe you think, “I wonder if people can see how purely I’m worshipping God right now.”

During the preaching, is there anyone you find yourself applying the sermon to in your heart? “Oh, I hope they are listening to this part of the sermon. They really need to hear this.”

It’s so subtle, it can even work into our hearts like this, “That person’s really legalistic. I’m so glad I’m not a legalist like them.” Or maybe you think, “I know what they are like. They are probably judging me right now.” “I know they think they are better than me.” And now you feel more accepted by God because at least you’re better than them.

Or perhaps you hear a brother or sister expressing their love for Christ and you think, “What they said might have been humble, but I know they don’t really think that.” We may feel justified in our thoughts because they are the legalistic ones, they are the judgmental ones. But now we’re fallen into the exact same trap. And the prayer of the Pharisee is reversed, “Lord, I thank you that I am not like that man, a legalist.”

Sin is so sneaky. And Satan is so clever.

Perhaps the greatest test of legalism is this, when was the last time you felt like the tax-collector and simply cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

My friend, all of these are unauthorized fire. It’s coming to God expecting him to accept the sacrifice of your good works, and not the righteousness of Christ. A greater sacrifice has been given, and you are wholly accepted in Christ alone, and so are your brothers and sisters. Let us not look to ourselves, but let us look to Christ, and him alone. God has provided the greatest sacrifice, and nothing more is needed.

But that’s not the only way this sin sneaks up into our heats. Let’s think next, not just about our actions, but our feelings as well. What we feel, or don’t feel.

2) Our Feelings.

Do you ever come into church just feeling really good? Like, you slept well last night, you had some great coffee this morning, you’re wearing your favorite clothes, you’ve had your Christian music playing, you’re here on time, and maybe you’re even having a really good hair day. And you just feel good this morning. Abenezer gets up with his guitar and you’re just feeling it. You’re ready to worship.

Or maybe you’ve come and just everything has gone wrong this morning. The water’s off again, you’ve been sick this week, and traffic is terrible on your way to church. And you’re not even sure you want to be here.

Or maybe it’s even more serious than that. You’re not just having a bad day, you’re having a bad month, or a bad year. You find yourself in a deep depression that just will not lift, no matter what you do.

Which of these believers has more access to God? Remember that David wrote, “make a joyful noise to the Lord” and also “how long oh Lord.” And both prayers are precious in God’s sight. On our good days and bad, in our emotional highs and emotional lows, Jesus Christ alone grants us access to God. Look not to your feelings to see if you are worthy to come to God. Look only to Christ, and you will find full acceptance, full assurance, no matter how you feel.

Transition:

Or maybe it’s more like this, do you find yourself judging your acceptance before God based on your acceptance before your friends? Actually, I think it’s very easy for us to think that God must feel towards us the way others feel towards us.

Maybe you fit in well with others. You have many friends, and you’re greeted with a smile everywhere you go.

Or maybe you just feel like a social outcast. Like no matter how hard you try you never have the friends you want, your parents never approve of you, your spouse always wants more from you. Whenever you open your mouth you feel like you say the wrong thing. You just feel hurt, and rejected.

Or maybe you feel that there’s no one who you can confide in, no one you can share your deepest thoughts and deepest sorrows with. You’ve tried before and feel only more rejection.

My dear friend, this is not how God is towards you. You may feel rejection from others, but do not mistake that for rejection from God. You may feel acceptance from others, but do not mistaken that for acceptance from God. Our loving and tender Father loves and accepts you, not based on your social skills, but based on the death of his Son for you.

Dear believer, you will never feel assurance before God until Jesus Christ becomes everything to you. Because acceptance before God is never found inside of you. No matter how deep you look, you’ll never find a reason for God to love you; you’ll never find a reason for God to accept you. None of the reasons you make up for God to love you are strong enough to earn you favor before God, and none of the reasons you make up for God to reject you are strong enough to earn his rejection.

This is the heart of salvation by grace alone: we don’t deserve it, but God gives it freely. We don’t deserve it, but God gives it freely. No matter who you are. No matter what you’ve done. No matter what you feel. You don’t deserve it, but God gives it freely. That’s why it’s called grace.

God has provided in Christ the greatest sacrifice for sins. He’s provided full and unhindered access to himself. And he’s looking for nothing more.

There’s an old hymn that says this,

Nothing in my hands I bring.

Simply to your cross I cling.

So I’d like to end the sermon asking this question, “what is in your hands?” What did Nadab and Abihu have in their hands? A sacrifice of their own making. What is in your hands? What are you trusting in? Is it Christ and him alone? Or is it something you’ve done? Or something you feel? Or something you wish you were?

What is in your hands? Look into them. What do you see? If it is anything but Jesus Christ, cast it from you and chain yourself to the cross. God has provided the greatest of all sacrifices. Place your confidence wholly in Christ Jesus.

And for us, who have so often looked to ourselves for right standing before God, this text should cause us to marvel at the mercy of God towards us. The real mystery of this text is not “why did God kill Nadab and Abihu?” It’s “why has God shown such mercy towards us?” We are guilty of the same sin as them. We have come before God with a sacrifice of our own creation, and God has been so merciful towards us, has he not? With every legalistic thought, we come to God with unauthorized fire. And every time he has shown such patience.

And why has he shown us such mercy? Because that judgement we deserve, it was taken by Jesus Christ in our stead. There is no judgement left for us, only eternal acceptance, mercy, and love. The Father’s wrath is completely satisfied.

And now the Father’s arms are opened wide. He bids us come to him, and he has provided the way, in Christ alone.

Transition:

And so the true call of this text for us today is to embrace Christ, to cling to Christ. To trust him and him alone to grant us access to God. Because the good news for us, us who are still breathing is this, it’s not too late. It’s not too late to embrace Christ.

MP3: The Greater Sacrifice Embraced

SP1: Embrace Christ in Conversion

Perhaps you’re here today and as your hear these words, perhaps the reason you feel your relationship with God is so up and down, so on and off, so full of highs and lows -- perhaps the reason is that you have never fully embraced Christ. Have you ever come to God and asked him to save you, not just from your sins, but from your “righteousnesses” as well? Have you ever repented of trying to earn favor with God instead of trusting in Christ alone? Have you ever looked to yourself and seen yourself as God does? A sinner, with nothing worthy of his love, nothing worthy of his acceptance? And have you ever trusted in Christ alone for your salvation?

What is in your hands?

This was Paul’s conversion story. He was always looking inward, always looking to his own good words, always looking to himself for right standing before God. And what he learned is that none of that is good enough. And when he did, this is what he said,

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— (Philippians 3:7–9)

What he learned is to let go of his righteousnesses, let go of the good works he was hoping would earn him a place with God, and to put his trust in Jesus Christ alone for his righteousness.

What is in your hands? Is it Jesus Christ and him alone?

If you’ve never done this, please do it today. Please come and talk to me afterwords and tell me what God is doing in your heart.

Transition:

But what of us who have already trusted in Christ? What is the call of this text for us?

SP2: Embrace Christ Every Day

It’s to trust him again. To once again consider our good works as filthy rags, and to see the surpassing beauty of Christ. To trust in him, and him alone, again.

And not just today, but every day.

On our good days, and on our bad. To trust in Christ alone.

How can we do this? The best way I know is this: to simply take time to remind ourselves of the gospel. As soon as we wake up, when the failures and successes from yesterday begin to bombard us, when our phone is calling us to check social media, when there’s so much to do today and you don’t want to wait, just take a moment. Just take 30 seconds, breathe, focus, and say to yourself,

“I am a sinner. I deserve nothing but the judgement and wrath of God. And there is nothing I can do to earn favor with God. But God has looked upon me with love. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place. And now I am completely forgiven of all my sin.”

Then, as you go through your day, when you fail, when you get stressed, when you get overwhelmed because life is just hard, you do it again.

Breathe.

“I am forgiven. I am loved. I will never be abandoned. Not because of me, but because of Christ.”

“Once your enemy, now seated at your table.”

It looks like coming to church, and fellowshipping with other believers, even when you don’t feel like it. Because this is the place where we’re most reminded of the gospel. We hear the gospel, not only from our own lips, but from the lips of our brothers and sisters. And when the Christ in our own hearts feels weak, the Christ in their hearts feels strong.

What is in your hands? What are you trusting in? God has provided the greatest of all sacrifices, let’s not settle for less. Let us cling to Christ.

The Father bids us come, and he has provided the way. Let’s come to him, trusting in Christ alone.

Conclusion:

And the great hope for all of us who trust in Christ is this: one day soon we will enter into the Lord’s very presence, not with fear, but with joy. And we will not be met with judgement, but with the welcoming smile of God. And we will hear this greeting, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”