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Lessons From Leviticus

Leviticus 1 (2/16/17)

February 16, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* The theme of the book of Leviticus is “Be Holy.” * The word “holy” is used 91 times in the book. * God wanted the Jews to be “set apart” so the “whole world may know that He is God. * On that foundation, God established one of the key principles in being set apart - sacrifice. * In the OT it required an animal, but in the NT Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. * If we want to be holy we can’t do it apart from offering ourselves as “living sacrifices.” (Romans 12:1) * Leviticus 1:8-9 - there’s repetition in the book about the head, fat, and organs. * Look at all three: * Head - represents pride. Sacrifice it. * Fat - represents selfishness. Fat is a result of indulgence. Sacrifice it. * Organs (kidneys and liver) - these filter out impurities. * All of this teaches us to be holy as God is holy.

Leviticus 1:1 (2/15/18)

February 15, 2018 • Benham Brothers

* The tabernacle was ready for use, now God gave the priests the instructions they needed for offering various sacrifices. * There were three types of offerings: * 1) When worshippers wanted to express COMMITMENT to God. These were: * Burnt offering - it symbolized “just as the animal is totally given to God so I totally give myself.” * Grain offering - this was a way the Jews could dedicate to God that which He enabled them to produce, but it also represented Jesus as the Bread of Life. * Drink offering - pouring out the wine symbolized a life poured out in dedication to God. * 2) When worshippers wanted to express COMMUNION with God. This was: * Peace offering meal - eating together in the East represented an end to any hostility, so this offering showed peace between God and man. * 3) When worshippers wanted CLEANSING from God. These were: * The sin offering - the sacrifice was different depending on what the person could afford - this placed a higher burden on the influencers. It was for forgiveness of sins (body burned outside the camp to distinguish between the burnt and sin offering - only the fat was burned on the altar). * The trespass offering - was needed for two kinds of sin: sins against holy things and against one’s neighbor. * It illustrated the importance of honoring God and others.

Lev 1:2 (2/20/14)

February 20, 2014 • Benham Brothers

* Since the fall of man we see people giving offerings to God. * Offerings were voluntary - you weren't "commanded" to bring offerings. * Why? Because God put into human nature the desire to "give back." * 1) The Reason for offerings is to show your love to God and gratitude for His provision, and in the case of the sin offerings it was so that you could be put back in right relationship with Him. * 2) The Recognition for an offering was that you must first "recognize" that all is God's and all came from Him. * 3) The Result of the offering is ACCEPTANCE by God. * God will only accept a clean offering that's your very best. * Our lives are to be offerings to God.

Leviticus 4:1-3 (2/13/19)

February 13, 2019 • Benham Brothers

* When you sin it will cost you something. * Four types of sinners and their sacrifices: * 1) Priests - offer a bull. * 2) Leaders - offer a male goat. * 3) People individually - offer a female goat. * Lev 5:1 - two offerings for cleansing from personal sin: * Sin offering - general sin. * Trespass offering (also called “guilt” offering) - specific sin. (this is what Lev 5 is about). * The priests job was to inspect the sacrifice, not the sinner. * 4) People as a group (national sin) - offer a bull. (vs 13-14) * A nation sins by culture and laws. * What does it accept and celebrate in culture? * What are its laws?

Leviticus 6:5 (2/13/19)

February 13, 2019 • Benham Brothers

* When you sinned by way of theft, not only were you supposed to offer a sacrifice but you were also to make restitution for what you did. * The thief had to make it right with: * 1) The person he sinned against. * He had to add 1/5 to what he stole. * So if he stole $100 he had to pay back $120. * 2) The God he sinned against. * He had to offer a ran tot he priest. * True forgiveness is only found when you repent to God AND the person you wronged. * A good rule-of-thumb - when you sin against someone add value to them in some way after you’ve repented. * Ask them to dinner or something!

Leviticus 6:13 (2/11/16)

February 11, 2016 • Benham Brothers

• Theme of Leviticus is to "be holy" - this means to be "set apart." • God was establishing a pattern with Israel, not a pet. • So that the world may know there is a God.... • The first principle in being set apart - the offering of a sacrifice. • All of them point to Christ as our ultimate sacrifice. • It works in that order - offering, then sacrifice. • If blood was shed, it symbolized two things: • 1) Offeror's identification with the sacrifice. • 2) Laying on of hands symbolized transfer of guilt to the sacrifice. • In the OT, there were six specific sacrifices: • COMMITMENT: • 1) Burnt offering - expressed they were wholly devoted to God. • 2) Meal offering - expressed dedication to God for that which they were able to produce. • 3) Drink offering - symbolized being poured out for God. • COMMUNION: • 4) Peace/Fellowship offering - expressed thanksgiving that they were at peace with God. • CLEANSING: • 5) Sin Offering - cleansed away sin. • Different sacrifices for different people - Priests, Leaders, People. • 6) Trespass/Guilt offering - symbolized restitution - making payment for the sins we committed and living with the consequences. • vs 6:13 - the fire was never to be put out!

Leviticus 6:13 & 10:2 (2/15/15)

February 15, 2015 • Benham Brothers

6:13 - The fire on the altar was never to be put out. Here are the sacrifices that were made: 1) burnt offering - repent of sins in general, thus showing our devotion to God. 2) grain offering - showing honor and respect to God in a spirit of worship, recognizing that all things belong to Him. 3) peace offering - expressing gratitude toward God for all He's done. 4) sin offering - repent of specific sins, thus restoring our fellowship with God. 5) guilt offering - making payment for the sins we commit - living with the consequences of our sin. 10:2 - The fire of God was going to consume either the sacrifice or the person making the sacrifice. It all depended on the reverence of the person making the sacrifice. Nadab and Abihu were getting drunk off the wine of the temple - this is like a pastor getting drunk off the blessings of the church - all the little goodies that come along with being a pastor. These boys got burned up. So many church leaders are getting burnt out because their sacrifice isn't proper. I can't judge their reasons, but I can tell you that leaving the church is not God's best, and His fire is consuming the person as opposed to their sacrifice.

Leviticus 6:20-21 (2/13/19)

February 13, 2019 • Benham Brothers

* When the priests fry these pieces of bread God loves the smell!!! * I think about walking into my mom’s house and smelling the bacon and eggs she’d make for us for lunch - it was amazing. * The best part about it, though, is thinking about all my mom did to make it because she knows we love it. * God has emotions and the five senses just like us. We’re made in His image. * When we do things for Him with a heart to please Him we tell Him we love Him. * He likes it and it blesses Him just as much as my mom’s bacon and eggs blessed me!

Leviticus 8-10 (2/16/17)

February 16, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* In the Old Testament God’s people “had” a priesthood. * In the New Testament God’s people “are” a priesthood. * God’s people were always to be a holy priesthood, but they failed. * One of the reasons is because the spiritual leaders failed to be holy. * God wants the church today to be a holy priesthood. * Leviticus 8-10 describes three responsibilities the priests had: * 1) Submitting to God’s authority (chap 8). * 2) Revealing God’s glory (chap 9). * 3) Accepting God’s discipline (chap 10). * Leviticus 10:3 - in the OT, we see what priests were supposed to do: * “I will display My holiness through those who come near Me. I will display My glory before all the people.” * God wants to display His holiness through us today.

Leviticus 9:23-10:2 (2/13/19)

February 13, 2019 • Benham Brothers

* The book of Leviticus shows us God’s prescribed way at this time in history to have His presence dwell among people. * His presence is like the sun - it’s so good for us and we need it, but it has a dangerous side to it if you don’t handle it properly (hell’s itch). * God told Moses to build the tabernacle and do the sacrifices “exactly” as He commanded. * vs 23-24 - He did, and the glory of the Lord came down along with fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. * vs 10:1-2 - Aaron’s sons didn’t show respect and reverence to the Lord and fire came out from the altar and consumed them. * The same fire comes from heaven, but it will either consume you or your sacrifice. * It just depends on the type of sacrifice you offer and the spirit in which you offer it. * Is it your best and did you offer it willingly? * If it’s a good sacrifice God accepts it. * If not - if you cut corners or do it flippantly you will experience burn out. * vs 9 - these brothers were most likely drunk - taking in the “goodness” of God. * vs 10 - allowing anything other than God to intoxicate you will remove your ability to distinguish between right and wrong. * We need to seek reverence over relevance.

Leviticus 10:10 (2/19/15)

February 19, 2015 • Benham Brothers

God had just killed Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire (Lev 10:1-2). The fire of God fell on the sacrifice just one verse prior, but God's fire fell on the offerors in the following verse. Then, after all this, God gives Aaron instructions on what he is to do when offering a sacrifice. He wasn't to get drunk off the wine, which reveals what his boys had been doing. Why? Because if he did then he wouldn't be able to distinguish between the holy and the profane. Interesting - if the priest got drunk off the temple goodies then he would lose his ability to teach the people how to distinguish between good and evil. The removal of distinction has always been one of Satan's key strategies - he loves the color grey. Spiritual leaders need to heed this warning: They should not get drunk off the "ministry" goodies - the blessings that come with being the man or woman of influence. If they do then their natural tendency will be to back out of helping their congregations distinguish between holy and profane - they will remain silent when they should be speaking. If they don't make this distinction then the fire of God will fall on them and not their sacrifice. This is one of the reasons why pastoral burn-out happens so much - God's fire is burning them and not their sacrifice.

Leviticus 11 (2/16/17)

February 16, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* The Jews had special privileges, but they had particular restraints as well. * All of this was a part of them being “set apart” so other nations would want to worship their God. * Leviticus 11:29 - God is classifying that which is unclean. * Thirty two times in Leviticus 11 the word “unclean” is mentioned, and ten times “abomination” is mentioned. * Isaiah 5:20 - “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” * The real tragedy would be the reclassifying of the unclean. * Eve reclassified the tree, Achan reclassified the spoil of Jericho, Saul reclassified the Amalekite flocks and herds. * Reclassifying sin leads to a curse. * Today we have a major problem with this and the church has to lead the way in helping people understand why NOT to reclassify what God has already classified.

Leviticus 13:2-3 (2/16/17)

February 16, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* In the Old Testament leprosy was seen as a disease caused by sin. * We can learn a lot about the effect of sin in our lives by the effect leprosy had on those back then: * 1) It always manifested itself - it didn’t stay hidden for long. * 2) It was always more than skin deep - it started in the blood and manifested itself on the outside. * 3) It always spread - it never stayed in one spot - its goal was to take over. * 4) It made you unclean (isolated you) - lepers couldn’t hang out with other people. * 5) It was contagious - if you touched someone with leprosy you would get it. * 6) It took away your “feeling” - leprosy blunted your feeling and so you would lose your limbs because you didn’t feel anything.

Lev 16:5-21 (3/6/14)

March 6, 2014 • Benham Brothers

- God chose two goats to be sacrificed on the Day of Atonement (day of "covering" for sin). - One goat was for covering over sin, the other goat represented the guilt associated with the sin. - The goat of sin was to be killed and sacrificed on the altar. - The goat of guilt was to be released into the wilderness. - You cannot be free from the guilt of sin until you release it. - God wants you to let it go - Satan wants you to keep it. Why? - Goats are stubborn, and so is guilt. If you have a goat attached to you then you won't fight! - God wants you to be free so you can fight His battles. UFC fighters are always loose! - Who was the one who got to release the goat? The man standing in a position of "readiness" (vs 21). - Think of Gideon's army - those who were chosen were those who were ready to fight. - Think of Jesus with His disciples - He told them to "be ready, keep watch." - If you're not in a position of "readiness" then the guilt associated with your sin will not be released. - You'll operate out of guilt instead of releasing it.

Lev 16:5-10 & 21 (2/19/13)

February 19, 2013 • Benham Brothers

* Chain of events in Leviticus: 1 - Regs for Offerings 2 - Installation of Aaron as Priest 3 - Distinction bt Unclean & Clean 4 - DAY OF ATONEMENT - how we get "reconciled" to God 5 - Holy Living Goat for Sin / Goat for Guilt (stubborn goat) Man of "READINESS" releases the scapegoat If you feel guilty then you're not ready to fight - you can't fight when you have a stubborn goat attached to you UFC Figther - he's loose - You have to LOOSE that goat of guilt! Break free from that chain!