Leviticus
The Book of Holiness
Law and Order
March 27, 2022 • Connor Kraus • Leviticus
Connor continues our Leviticus message series with a frank conversation about some sensitive topics from Leviticus 18 and 20 – incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality. The penalty for these sins was death. It’s easy for us to look back at the Old Testament times, contemplate the kinds of sins God’s people were committing, and say that those were life-or-death circumstances. But we still live with life-or-death circumstances. We deserve death but are given life when we acknowledge our sin and trust in Jesus Christ. We can’t look back at the Canaanites with superiority. Nor can we look to our peers who have committed “worse sins” than we have. We are all deserving of death. But because of Jesus, we can have a spirit of life beyond the grave.
Laws of Blood
March 20, 2022 • Connor Kraus • Leviticus
Our Leviticus series continues with a look at the blood laws of Leviticus (and the New Testament scriptures that showed that Jesus was the new law). In Leviticus, once again, God was taking what the Israelites were using for pagan practices (animal sacrifice) and turned it around for His glory. He outlined specific laws forbidding eating animals that still had their blood (life force) in them. And the blood of living things wasn’t to be touched. So centuries later, when Jesus told the crowd of 5000 that they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood, it had to be confusing and even upsetting to his followers. We have the benefit of hindsight. We know that Jesus knew he would soon die for the entire world and our sins. That didn’t mean his followers had to consume his flesh and blood literally. To enjoy eternal life in Heaven, he meant we have to accept and take in his sacrifice for our sins. Jesus gave his life for us, and his blood makes us clean.
Holiness and Decay
March 13, 2022 • Connor Kraus • Leviticus
Our Leviticus series continues as Connor Kraus takes a closer look at skin disease – at least how it’s addressed in the book of Leviticus! Disease and death are reminders of our living in a fallen world where we should expect these weapons of the enemy. If we don’t completely grasp this, we can’t fully understand and appreciate what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus won the war against the enemy (and disease and death), so someday we can be restored to eternal life with God in Heaven. But the spiritual battle continues here on Earth as the enemy continues his fight. When we are followers of Christ, we can leverage this knowledge against Satan by standing firm in our faith and sharing the Gospel with others. Yes, there is disease and death in this world. But beyond that is God, and He is eternal.
Clean and Unclean
March 6, 2022 • Connor Kraus • Leviticus
Connor continues our Leviticus series by looking at the animals God defined as clean, which could be eaten by the Israelites. God also spelled out certain unclean animals that were not to be eaten or their dead carcasses touched by his people. It harkens back to Genesis when God told Adam and Eve they could eat everything in the garden except the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The food laws of Leviticus were God giving his people an eternal truth, a reminder about himself – who he is, what he expects, and his desire for their life. Then came Jesus and what he did on the cross. We’re still unclean animals, but the sacrifice of Jesus makes us clean. We need to stay away from sin. But because of God’s cleansing power, we’re forgiven for those sins.
The Purification Offering
February 27, 2022 • Connor Kraus • Leviticus
Connor continues our series on Leviticus with a look at the purification offering. This offering covered accidental violations (out of negligence or carelessness) and life events that required purification (childbirth, skin disease, etc.). These latter things weren’t sins, but they required cleansing. Thanks to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross for our sins, we no longer need to spill the blood of animals on an altar to pay for our sins. But we do need to be aware of our sin, because all sin is detestable to God. It’s futile to judge our sin against the sin of others; it’s only valid to judge against God’s standard. Trusting in Christ means that we are clean, forever. But we are still susceptible to sin and must be vigilant against it. Find it, end it, and give it to God.
The Grain Offering
February 20, 2022 • Connor Kraus • Leviticus
Connor continues our study of Leviticus with a look at the “grain offering.” Sacrifices and offerings were long-held cultural traditions in the time of Leviticus. God co-opted these pagan practices, turning them into something He could use for His glory. Every time God asks for an offering, He asks for the very best. Whether it was the uncooked offerings of fine flour, cooked flour with no yeast (which brought impurity to the offering), or the firstfruits offering (the first and best of the crop), offerings were a recognition that every good thing we have comes from God. We are merely the stewards of the things He gives us. Today, our sacrifice is shown in how we live our lives. When we reflect on the love of God, it will motivate us to offer the best of our lives and what we have to Him. This can include how we spend our time, how we handle our relationships, how we fill our calendar, and how we manage our finances. God deserves your best. In order to give Him your best, what in your life must change?