Sermon Tone Analysis

Day 60

Leviticus 5:14-7:10; Mark 10:32-52; Proverbs 6:12-19

“The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord … it is most holy” (Leviticus 6:25).

Concerning the death of Jesus, the human story is this: “the chief priests and the teachers of the law will condemn Him to death” (Mark 10:33-340.

There is , however, also the divine side of His Story.

Jesus is the Priest who makes atonement for sin by becoming the sin offering.

He came “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Those who have been redeemed by the Lord are to live as those who are being sanctified by Him.

Scripture teaches us about sanctification by showing us what we are not to be (Proverbs 6:12-19) as well as what we are to be.

Day 61

Leviticus 7:11-8:36; Mark 11:1-25; Psalm 28:1-9

The priest entered the holy place on behalf of the people.

Jesus entered the holy city, Jerusalem, on behalf of the people.

The priest entered with a sacrifice.

Jesus Himself became the Sacrifice.

Through Jesus Christ, the perfect Sacrifice for our sins, we are able to come to God and know that our prayer is heard and answered: “Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place” (Psalm 28:2).

Day 62

Leviticus 9:1-10:20; Mark 11:27-12:12; Psalm 29:1-11

In the sacrificial system, everything was to be done “as the Lord has commanded” (Leviticus 9:7; Leviticus 10:15).

This was the foundation of Jesus’ authority.

He lived His whole life in perfect obedience to the Father’s will.

Only those who, through faith, are in union with Him, will recognize the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who refuse Christ, seeking to take salvation into their own hands (Mark 12:6-8), show that they do not understand that Christ alone has the authority to be the foundation of our salvation.

When we consider the greatness of God’s salvation, we give glory to Him (Psalm 29:2,9) and the glory appears among us (Leviticus 9:23).

Day 63

Leviticus 11:1-12:8; Mark 12:13-27; Psalm 30:1-7

The Psalmist says, “I will exalt You, O Lord, for You lifted me out of the depths” (Psalm 30:10.

In Leviticus 11-12, there is a great emphasis on the need for cleansing.

In Christ, we have been cleansed.

We exalt Him because He has lifted us out of the darkness of our sin.

The Psalmist says, “O Lord, You brought me up from the grave” (Psalm 30:3).

Jesus speaks of “the resurrection” (Mark 12:23).

He is looking beyond His resurrection.

He is speaking of our resurrection.

We will be raised in Him.

We will be raised to eternal life.

Day 64

Leviticus 13:1-59; Mark 12:28-44; Proverbs 6:20-29

Leviticus 13 continues to emphasize the importance of being clean.

the clean life is a life characterized by love for God and love for our neighbour (Mark 12:29-31).

This is “more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33).

The clean life is the life which is lived in the light of God’s holy Word: “these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light” (Proverbs 6:23).

Day 65

Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark 13:1-31; Psalm 30:8-12

We are cleansed by the sacrifice of “the sin offering” which “makes atonement” for us “before the Lord” (Leviticus 14:18).

Only those who have received cleansing from their sins through faith in Christ will enjoy the glory of heaven when the Lord returns (Mark 13:27).

Psalm 30:8-12 gives an account of faith in the Lord.

Realizing the danger of judgment (Psalm 30:9), the Psalmist calls upon the Lord, crying to Him for mercy (Psalm 30:8).

God answers the prayer, turning the Psalmist’s “wailing into dancing” and clothing him with joy (Psalm 30:11).

The Psalmist sings to the Lord from his heart – “O Lord my God, I will give You thanks for ever” (Psalm 30:12).

Day 66

Leviticus 15:1-16:34; Mark 13:32-14:16; Psalm 31:1-8

At the heart of the book of Leviticus, with all its meticulous detail, there is this great statement regarding the spiritual purpose of it all: “atonement will be made for you, to cleans you.

Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins” (Leviticus 16:30).

When we come to the New Testament, we find Jesus Christ, not only celebrating the Passover but fulfilling the Passover.

He is the Passover Lamb.

In Psalm 31:5, we read the words spoken by Christ on the Cross: “Into Your hands, I commit My spirit.”

These words are followed by the prayer: “redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.”

God’s answer to prayer was, in the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Resurrection.

The risen Christ might truly echo the words of the Psalmist: “I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place” (Psalm 31:7-8).

Day 67

Leviticus 17:1-18:30; Mark 14:17-42; Psalm 31:9-18

“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” (Leviticus 17:11).

The Old Testament principle, cited in Hebrews – “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” finds its fulfilment in the death of Christ – “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

He says to His disciples, “This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24).

Psalm 31:9-13 sounds very much like a description of Christ’s suffering on the Cross.

This is followed by these great words: “But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God’” (Psalm 31:14).

The Psalmist goes on to say that “the wicked” will “lie silent in the grave” (Psalm 31:17).

This is in contrast to Christ who rose from the grave.

Day 68

Leviticus 19:1-20:27; Mark 14:43-72; Proverbs 6:30-35

Central to the teaching of Leviticus is its emphasis on the holiness of God and His purpose of making His people holy: “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.

Keep My decrees and follow them.

I am the Lord, who makes you holy … You are to be holy to Me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own” (Leviticus 20:7-8, 26).

We are commanded to “be holy.”

We have the Lord’s promise that He will make us holy – holy to the Lord, different from those who live according to worldly standards.

Jesus was perfectly holy, yet He did not defend Himself when He was falsely accused by evil men (Mark 14:55-61).

He “confessed our sin”, took our place, bearing the punishment for our sins.

We must not be ashamed to confess Him – “Yes, I am with Jesus.

Yes, I am His disciple” (contrast Peter’s denial in Mark 14:66-72).

there is judgment for those who destroy themselves by going the world’s way rather than the Lord’s way (Proverbs 6:32-33).

Day 69

Leviticus 21:1-22:33; Mark 15:1-32; Psalm 31:19-24

An offering of sacrifice to the Lord “must be without defect pr blemish to be acceptable” (Leviticus 22:21).

In Mark 15:15, we have the great statement concerning the sinless Son of God taking the sinner’s place – “Pilate released Barabbas to them.

He had Jesus flogged and handed Him over to be crucified.”

“Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me when I was in a beseiged city” (Psalm 31:21).

The Cross was, for Jesus, a beseiged city.

When He cried out to God, it was like the prayer of the Psalmist – “In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from Your sight!’” God answered the Psalmist’s prayer – “Yet You heard my cry for mercy when I called to You for help” (Psalm 31:22).

God answered Jesus’ prayer when He raised Him from the dead.

To those who believe in the crucified and risen Christ, God says, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24).

Day 70

Leviticus 23:1-24:23; Mark 15:33-47; Psalm 32:1-11

Leviticus 23 gives a description of “the appointed feasts of the Lord” (Leviticus 23:2, 44).

At the heart of this chapter lies “the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord” (Leviticus 23:28).

Each of the festivals had their place in keeping the people in a right relationship with God.

In the death of Jesus Christ, there is atonement.

He died to bring us into a right relationship with God.

He bore the divine sentence of judgment upon Himself – “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34) – so that we might know the blessing of which the Psalmist speaks: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven” (Psalm 32:1).