High-Fiber Holy Crackers

What is your favorite snack?

I LOVE Cheez-Its. I have a master’s degree in Cheez-Itology. Let’s talk original, duoz, white cheddar, sharp cheddar, snap’d, or snack mix. I have researched all of them. I can eat my weight in crackers, which amounts to about $900 in Cheez-Its.

Before you slam my unhealthy habit, you should know that according to Leviticus, God likes crackers too.

I told you on Monday night that Leviticus is 27 chapters of weird. The second chapter is one of the reasons I said that. In chapter 1 we have the burnt offering. In chapter 2 you have a recipe for crackers.

These are the kinds of chapters in the Bible where your “read the Bible through in a year plan” goes to die. A passage like this is hard to read because it isn’t interesting. It’s hard to hang with because it isn’t exciting. No one uses anything from Leviticus 2 as their life verse.

This may be a stretch, but I feel pretty safe in saying that in the history of youth camps, this is probably the first time that anyone has ever preached Leviticus 2 to a youth group.

Leviticus 2:1–4 ESV

“When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord’s food offerings. “When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil.

So here’s the question we ask about a passage like this. It’s the same question we ask of every Bible passage we dare to read, every worship service we attend, every devotional or book that someone wants us to read. Here’s the question. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF THIS?

What if I were to tell you that the answer to your question is nothing. You get nothing out of passage like this.

In fact, if you were to apply this passage to your life - this is what you get - a high fiber holy cracker. When you do all of this - you will get something like this - MATZA.

So as pointless as a passage that you get nothing out of seems to you, the fact that it is the second chapter in a book about approaching God makes it really important. This was to be standard practice for the Jews. They were to make these high-fiber holy crackers and bring them to God.

And this is a missing concept in our current Christian practice. When you do something not for what you get out of it and you just bring it to God - that’s called an offering.

And the offering flips our current version of Christianity on its ear. Because we’ve made Christianity like our spiritual cracker cabinet.

You know what I mean by cracker cabinet - it’s the snack drawer or whatever your family calls it. And I know each of you has one of these cabinets in your house. It is filled with all of your favorite things.

If you were to dig through our cracker cabinet at home you would of course see Cheez-Its. There are some awesome BBQ chips. There is always a bag of double stuff oreos in there. My wife likes Keebler Fudge. If you look hard enough you’ll probably see a lone gummy bear that tried to make a run for it back in 2012. There’s some hot chocolate, some graham crackers, some dried fruit snacks. All the Branam favorite things are there.

And when we want to get something out of it - that’s our GO TO place.

And here’s how we’ve made Christianity our cracker cabinet. We go try to pull something out of it when we think we need it.

You grab the Bible and you try to get something out of the Bible.

You get you a little verse of the day on an app - just enough “God for the day.”

Every once in a while you’ll take a sermon seriously when you are feeling spiritual.

We do this all the time - when we are down, when we need encouraged, when we want to have a better day than yesterday - we go open up our cracker cabinet of all of our favorite verses and worship songs, neatly packed in there so we can get one when we need it.

And here is why Leviticus 2 is so important. It crucifies all of that cracker cabinet Christianity. Leviticus 2 says to the people - spend some time following this recipe and make these crackers - not so you can get something out of it, but because God wants it as an offering. Just do it and bring it to Him.

So tonight let’s learn about this critical concept of offering - giving something to God.

Make an offering:

Out of what you’ve been offered.

(God has given you what you’ve got - whether it is an ability or an inability - the time you have, the talents you have, the treasures you have)

Mom giving you a quarter for your offering - and you couldn’t wait to give it. You’d never think of keeping it. She gave it to you so that you could give.

Leviticus 2 is filled with the joy of the provision of God. The first word is WHEN. That is a word of expectation, not option. You are going to do this. And that is such a joyous word to these people. Why? Because look down at verses 14-15. It talks about first-fruits and ears of corn from their fields.

Leviticus 2:14–15 ESV

“If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain. And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

These people don’t have fields. They are nomads in a dessert in a transitional place in their lives moving from Egypt to Canaan.

Sometimes with an offering you give it looking forward - one day I will, with God’s help . . . .

Sometimes with an offering you are looking back - I have fields now - but this helps me to remember how God provided when we did not.

And so understand - there is nothing they are offering that God has not provided for them. And that mentality becomes a truly freeing way to look at life.

If nothing I have is mine, (that means none of it is mine - The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, Psalm 24:1)

If nothing I have is forever, (only 2 things are forever - God’s Word and your soul, the rest of it won’t last)

Then nothing I give is lost. (Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. Luke 17:33)

Jim Elliott - He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

I can make an offering of my:

Time Talent Treasure quit approaching your high school career like the box is all for you

glorify God for the gift and opportunity - thank HIm for the ability - represent Him in all you do - and make a Kingdom impact on the others whether it is band, ball, arts, academics - make it an offering

Out of obedience.

God isn’t as concerned about my talent, creativity, grades, accomplishments, or popularity as He is about my obedience.

just make crackers - nothing spectacular here, no miracles, just obedience.

Examples of things I need to do simply out of obedience.

Devotion - instead of doing it like a snack you nibble on approach it like following a recipe -rightly divide - meditate - quit snacking off someone else’s time with God - get in there and cook it as an offering

who, what, when, where, how

what does it teach me about God, Jesus, salvation

is there a command to be obeyed

is there a principle to be applied

is there a promise to be believed

For others.

The priests got to eat some of it. In fact, all that they had came from the offerings.

There is a great joy in blessing others.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.1 Peter 4:10-11

this week, is it your cracker cabinet _ lots of treats - what of it will be your offering?

think of how your student ministry would be transformed if it wasnt about what you get out of it, but what you can offer - not if i need it, but what i can bring

Small Group Questions:

Bro. Brian talked about ways that we make Christianity into our “cracker/snack cabinet.” What did he mean by that statement? How do we make Christianity into our “cracker/snack cabinet?” How is this a misguided understanding of our relationship with Christ?

Why is obedience a better motivator than experience (what I get out of it)?

What are some offerings you could make this week? What are some offerings you could make to others once we get back?

How do you make your athletic, arts, or academic career an offering to God?