Sermon Tone Analysis

*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*

*/Part 15: The Lamb of God/*

*Leviticus 1-7*

*/April 4, 2010/*

/ /

*Main point of sermon:*

· Jesus is the Lamb of God who death and resurrection took away the sins of the world.

* *

*Prep: *

·         Rob Bell, NAC

·         Carefully read about Sin Offering

 

*Scripture reading: Rev. 5:9-14 *(Sarah Dunn)

 

*Prayer*

 

As we celebrate Easter, we need to understand just what we are celebrating.

It is nothing less than the *grand* *climax* of a great story that you have been telling since the beginning.

Opening

 

Easter is churches’ “*big* *day*,” our Super Bowl.

I read an article saying I’m supposed to preach an *encouraging*, *practical* *message*.

Instead, I’m preaching a *doctrinal* message from *Leviticus*.

·         It’s probably the *1st* *Easter* *sermon* on Leviticus you’ve heard.

I © Leviticus

 

On its face Leviticus is an *instruction* *manual* for Israelite priests, filled with *laws* about *sacrifices*, *mildew*, *cleanliness*, and *festivals*, so I usually avoided it.

There are *few* *moral* laws, and *fewer* *stories*, just a lot of *rituals*.

We usually just *ignore* it as *antiquated* and *embarrassing*, but since I have to preach on it, I didn’t have that luxury.

·         The strangest thing happened as I’ve study it: I’m really *enjoying* *it* – it’s my favorite book of the Pentateuch.

It’s *not* a book of *rules*, but a *script* for this *cosmic* *drama*, a morality play, that teaches us about things like *sin*, *holiness*, *atonement*, and how to be *right* with *God*.

·         Instead of *actors*, you have the *priests* and *Israelites*, playing their parts with *deadly* *seriousness*.

And instead of a *stage*, you have the land of *Israel*, the *tabernacle*, *animal* *sacrifices*, *childbirth*, *funerals*, and many other parts of *daily* *life*.

Leviticus describes an incredibly *complex* *symbol*.

Think of *communion* or *baptism*, simple acts having *deep*, rich *meaning* of our redemption.

Rather than a simple act, it’s entire *way* of *life* was meant to teach *profound* *truths* about God and about us.

·         The book has one point: We *need* *Jesus*, he is the *Lamb* of *God* who death and resurrection took away the sins of the world.

It’s not frequently *quoted* in the NT (not many one-liners), but is the *framework* for the entire NT.

Buckets o’ Blood

 

Leviticus is filled with wild *images*, disturbing *pictures*.

The doctrine of our *depravity* and utter *sinfulness* and need for a savior isn’t *explained* in *didactic* form.

It’s *played* out in *flesh* and *blood*, literally, lot’s of blood.

Q   What is the *most* *blood* you have ever seen?

·         For me, it’s when it’s either when I cut my *foot* open with an *ax* or dropped a *steel* *beam* on *Micah’s* head.

I don’t know about you, but I *hate* seeing *blood*.

Last time I *gave* *blood*, I nearly fainted.

But *Leviticus* is filled with blood.

The first seven chapters are about *animal* *sacrifices*.

·         There’s more blood than all *Quentin* *Tarantino* movies combined.

The animal sacrificial *system* was *bloody*, to say the least.

For example: Many years after Moses, when Solomon dedicated the temple, he sacrificed *142,000 animals*.

(2 Chr.

7:5) Can you imagine how much *blood* *flowed* out of the temple?

·         All of this seems quite *brutal* to us, *barbaric* and doesn’t fit our idea of a *God* of *love*.

*Not* to *avoid* that, but just to give a different *perspective*: Literally *millions* more animals are “*sacrificed*” to our appetite for *meat* today than were ever killed on an altar.

·         Because we don’t watch it happen and get our nice *shrink*-*wrapped* flank steak, we *think* we are so much more *civilized*.

Q   *How* *long* does it take for us to *slaughter* *142*,*000* /cows/?

*36 hours* – about 100,000 are killed every day and about 25 million chickens.

That’s not from *PETA*, but the *USDA*.

I am not trying to make a *moral* *judgment* on that one way or that other, but just to point out we lack the *moral* *high* ground over the *ancient* *culture*.

Hopefully we can *respectfully* look at the world through *their* *eyes*.

Sacrifices in ANE

 

Sacrifices were a *part* of *life* for everyone in that day.

Pretty much *every* *culture* sacrificed animals to their gods.

It was no more *disgusting* to them than *carving* an *Easter* ham.

·         What made Israel’s sacrifices different from the surrounding pagan nations was their *purpose* and *meaning*.

The pagans sacrificed animals to *feed* their gods.

Their gods *needed* *sustenance*.

In pagan versions of the *Flood* *story*, the gods are worried because they just lost their food source.

Furthermore, the reason they would feed their gods is the *gain* their *favor* so they could get what they want.

They *gave* to their gods in order *to* *get*.

It was *manipulation*.

·         *BTW*: How often do we *worship*, *pray*, or *give* to God so we can *get*?

When we do that, we are no better than them.

Atonement

 

The pagans sacrificed because their *gods* *needed* it, Israel sacrificed because *they* *needed* it: Completely unlike pagans, their sacrifices were about *dealing* with *sin*.

There were several *types* of sacrifices in Leviticus, some for *sin* and some for expressing *thanksgiving* and *worship*, but at the root of all of these was “*atonement*.”

*Leviticus 1:3-4 *  3 ¶ “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect.

He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD.  4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

·         *Atonement* is a one of the two *key* *themes* of Leviticus – it’s used *56* *times*, more than *half* of the entire uses in the Bible.

Leviticus describes *sin* and *unholiness* as these *constant* *forces* that pull us *away* from God (that’s the *other* *theme*, more on it next week).

The sacrifice allowed Jews to *bridge* the always *widening* *gap* between God and man.

*Leviticus 17:11 *  11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

The English word actually started as two words “*at* *onement*,” meaning to *reconcile* and *make* *peace* between two parties.

This follows the *Biblical* *meaning* of bringing peace between us and God *via* a *sacrifice*.

·         The sacrifice wasn’t *salvation* by *works*, but a gift of *grace*, so they could atone for their *sins* and be *reconciled* to God.

And so, in order to atone for the *ceaseless* *stream* of sin and *wickedness* that was constantly pulling them *apart* from *God*, a constant stream of *animals* had to be *sacrificed*:

 

·         Every *morning* and *evening*, for the *nation*.

(Ex.

29:38)

·         On *special* *days*, such as Passover, and esp.

Yom Kippur.

·         *Individual* *Jews* would offer sacrifices for their sins.

The Jew didn’t have the *theology* *textbooks* to explain sin and that God in his *justice* *must* *punish* *sin*, they had the daily *symbolism* played out before them.

First-hand EXPERIENCE

 

I want to *walk* you *through* the *process* so you can understand this *drama* God wrote into *Leviticus*, which was meant to show us our *need* for *Christ*, the Lamb of God.

Imagine you are an Israelite and you *slandered* your neighbor, had to *repent* *publically*, but you still have to *sacrifice* a *sin* *offering* to God.

Why?

Because *all* *sins* are *against* *him* first.

You would begin by choosing the *best* of your flock, not the runt, not the leftovers, but very best.

It would represent a *significant* financial *investment*.

·         In a *bartering* society, it was like *burning* *money*.

In *smaller* households, the animals would have been kept in the *house* at *night*.

Your *children* knew the lamb well, *played* with it, and named it.

·         I wonder if your children would *beg* you not to kill this lamb, but *your* *sin* had to be paid for.

You would take the lamb to the temple and place your *hands* on its head, the Hebrew says “*lean* on it” as if you are *forcefully* taking your sins and *pushing* it onto the *lamb*.

·         By this act, you were *saying* “I am a *sinner*.

I have *dishonored* God, and I *deserve* to *die*, but this *lamb* will die *instead*.”