Requirements For Sacrifice

Prayer for Illumination and Introduction to Leviticus

All right, let's pray and we will get started Lord Jesus again as we open up your word. We confess our complete need for you. We need you for our life our breath our food our health. And we also need you and your spirit to help us understand your word.

We ask that you would Humbly as as your servants, we humbly ask that you would send your spirit so that we may rightly Understand what you have revealed in your word all of this to the praise of your glorious grace.

We ask in Jesus name. Amen. We are about to launch into a study of the book of Leviticus and Leviticus is not a book that modern Christians spend a lot of time in and it is one that they should be spending a lot of time in the the the tie-ins back to Jesus are profound the implications as it relates to the Lord's Supper the sacrament of the altar again or profound and the way in which God changes up his idioms in his phraseology in regards to what he will refer to as food offerings the requirements for people to eat the Sacrifices that are offered in the tabernacle which will eventually become the temple and then later in the book of Leviticus We'll see this in chapters 21 and 22 God himself will refer to the flesh of animals as bread.

Which is a very fascinating thing. You just sit there you go. What is he up to? So this is a book that the ancient church when you read the church fathers the church fathers spent a lot of time in this text and It really helped them flesh out the concepts of types and shadows.

And there's a text I want to show you real quick that will begin to frame our study of this book, which is one of the least. It's a diamond in the rough as best way I can put it is that people are they they do not recognize?

Or understand the gem that we have but in Colossians chapter 2 I want to show you a passage real quick that will help us frame this because so much of what we're gonna be dealing with is going to be the Ceremonial laws in regards to the people of Israel and in Colossians chapter 2 We get this very interesting text talking about the Levitical ceremonial Requirements festivals and feast days and stuff like that Colossians 2 6 therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink.

With regard to a festival or a new moon or a Shabbat Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to Christ. So you've heard me say it many times Old Testament types. Shadows substance Christ you can think of it another term for is Tupas and anti-tupas types and anti types.

So in the Old Testament, we have all of these very.

Rich.

Types very rich shadows that you cannot properly understand apart from Christ and you have to see how it all plays in. That being the case as we get into the book of Leviticus we are going to be looking at some very.

Bloody.

Gory. Requirements there's going to be blood. There's going to be burnt offerings. There's going to be incense there's going it's just all of the substantial bells and smells of Well Mosaic Covenant Judaism and all of them are in one way or another pointing to Christ.

If you miss it, it just sounds like a bunch of Minutia, it sounds like something that is just gonna trigger the people of PETA the people, you know. People for the ethical treatment of animals and we're going to get into some kind of a weird Discussion now about animal rights and things like this.

God Doesn't care about any of that in these senses. Remember he's the creator. So as we work our way through this what we're going to start with is We're going to look at the terminus. We're going to look at The book of Hebrews, we're going to start partway through chapter 6 and we're going to note that when it comes to Priestly activity that Jesus is our great high priest and in the Levitical priesthood In order to be a priest you have to be a member of a genetic descendant of Aaron.

That means you are of the tribe of Levi Jews today still keep track of who's related to Aaron if you know anybody who's Jewish and their last name is Cohen. You've heard of the Cohen brothers Cohen. Cohen means priest.

So somebody with a last name of Cohen, that's just a simple easy way to remember. You're a Levite. Now all of that being said the Levitical priesthood is kaput. It does not exist to this to this day it ended Almost 2 ,000 years ago.

Not quite 70 AD is when it was brought to an end.

Totally.

Stopped and you remember last week in our gospel text Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple and then Connects it to and kind of smooshes it with together with the end of the world and the Great Tribulation That is still coming.

And we do find ourselves in tribulation even in this day. But there's you'll note that the devil's little season is yeah is quite violent at the end. But all that being said it's important for us to note this if Jesus is our priest.

How is he our priest? Now for some of you this is going to be review. For some of you this might be review and then kind of a deeper look in this there is a story given in Scripture of a king of the tribe of Judah.

Who.

Attempted to do priestly duties. Does anyone know the story off the top of their head? Mm-hmm. Nope, not Cora. This is going to be in the times of the kings of Judah. Let me do a little. I did not create a tab for this ahead of time.

So let me do it this way.

The.

Person in question is Uzziah and If you remember the the story and I think I want this one from 2nd Kings our second Chronicles. Yeah, 2nd Chronicles 26 if you want to turn over there 2nd Chronicles.

26.

Now if you know the one of the famous chapters of The book of Isaiah in the king that in the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple and then he saw the Seraphim the burning ones crying Kadosh kadosh kadosh.

Holy. Holy. Holy is the Lord God of Sabbath oath of armies. However Uzziah is mentioned positively and negatively in Scriptures in 2nd Chronicles 26. Keep in mind Uzziah is a direct descendant of King David and Here's what it says about him.

Let's look at his start all the people of Judah took Uzziah who was 16 years old made him the king instead of his father Amaziah he built a lot Restored it to Judah after the king slept with his father's.

Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to reign and he reigned for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jekaliah of Jerusalem and he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. According to all that his father Amaziah had done He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah who instructed him in the fear of God.

And as long as he sought Yahweh God made him prosper. As far as teachers go Zechariah is a man of note. I mean you could not ask for a better Person to study the scriptures under at this time than Zechariah and so, you know that he got off to a good start now starting in verse 6 and concluding with verse 15 we get some of the exploits of King Uzziah in the early part of his reign and now it takes a very dark turn in verse 16 when Uzziah was strong He grew proud to his destruction.

For he was unfaithful to Yahweh his God and he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

Now.

We've read in Exodus that the it was the sons of Aaron who are the ones who were given to burn the incense. And so you'll note That despite the fact that Uzziah has been catechized very well by Zechariah He is not staying within his limits and you'll note his desire is to participate.

In.

The worship of Israel. He has not asked for the privilege of going behind the veil to put the blood of the of the sacrifice on the mercy seat at All. That's not what he's asking. He's merely asking for the privilege of actually taking for himself the privilege to offer Incense which is offered several times a day and you know You think of the psalmist where he says let my prayers rise before you as incense the lifting up of my hands as the evening Sacrifice and so you'll note that on on a just a cursory look at this.

One could try to make the argument that King Uzziah was only seeking to worship God. But note he was doing so in a way that was forbidden by God because of his lineage. He is of the house of Judah. You cannot offer these Even incense in the temple of the Lord.

Unless you are a consecrated and ordained Son of Levi put into the office to do these priestly duties. So what he's doing he can't do by virtue of several facts. But most importantly he's of the tribe of Judah, which is where the king comes from.

So he grew strong to his destruction. He was unfaithful to the Lord he entered the temple of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense as Uriah the priest went in after him with 80 priests of Yahweh who were men of valor and I love the fact that here you've got these priests who are opposing the king and Historically, especially in the ancient world in the ancient Near East those who would oppose a king or a monarch Generally found their lives cut very short.

This would oftentimes be the last thing they ever did and so you'll note then that the priests are Opposing the king at the risk of losing their own life and God commends them by calling them men of valor.

They withstood King Uzziah they said to him it is not for you Uzziah to burn incense to Yahweh. But for the priests the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense Go out of the sanctuary for you have done wrong and it will bring you no honor from Yahweh Elohim.

Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense and When he became angry with the priest leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of Yahweh by the altar of incense.

Nazariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him and behold he was leprous in his forehead and they rushed him out quickly and he himself hurried to go out because Yahweh had struck him and King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death and being a leper.

He lived in a separate house for he was excluded from the house of Yahweh and Jotham. His son was over the king's household governing the people of the land. Pretty severe punishment. He's lucky to actually be alive.

But he's a leper the rest of his life, which means nobody can come into his presence without becoming ceremonially unclean. This leprosy forbids him then keeps him from Participating in the worship life of Israel for the rest of his life.

So he is from the tribe of Judah. He cannot do the priestly functions. How is it then that Jesus Christ? Who is a direct descendant of David he is the lion of the tribe of Judah. How is it that he is our priest?

Different priesthood.

Yeah.

Malky's the deck, correct. Yeah, so this is where we got to pay attention to this. So the Aaronic priesthood is type in shadow and It's pointing to the true priesthood, which is Christ now. We talked about this up, you know, maybe six eight weeks ago that there is this strange doctrine that that runs around.

Out in.

Evangelicalism today and and Don Conveyed at the time that he had heard that recently on the radio this idea that when Jesus is bleeding on the cross. That somehow some of his blood trickled down from the cross into a crevice, you know on the hill of Golgotha and hidden underneath the Cross on Golgotha was the actual Ark of the Covenant and his blood touched the mercy seat.

No, no text says that. I know.

You.

Tom's like Yeah, no that that's an actual popular teaching. But that that's not true at all. So in reviewing all of this we have to keep in mind the fulfillment and I know again some for some of you. This is going to be review.

But I'm trying to provide a little bit more of an expanded look at this review as we consider then. The fact that Jesus Christ is our high priest and he serves his priestly functions. And we noted this in the book of Exodus.

He serves his priestly functions not in the tabernacle. Not in the temple in Jerusalem. And the reason we noted this when we were working our way through the book of Exodus is Specifically because the tabernacle and the temple were copies.

They were not the real.

Thing.

The real thing is in heaven and so now we'll consider his priesthood and Again, consider the appearance of this strange fellow in Scripture.

God’s Oath to Abraham and the Hope Set Before Us

So.

That being said Hebrews 6 will start in verse 13 and Slowly work our way back through it. Get this as a kind of head of steam as we get into the book of Leviticus. When God made a promise to Abraham since he had no one greater to buy whom to swear He swore by himself saying surely I will bless you and multiply you and thus Abraham having patiently waited obtained the promise.

For people swear by something greater than themselves and all their disputes and oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose He guaranteed it with an oath so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie.

We who have fled for refuge might have strong Encouragement to hold fast to the hope that is set before us. And so you'll note if you ever any of you seen like one of those movies like Bruce Almighty or Remember George Burns in the movie Where he played God.

What is it called? Oh God. Yeah, I have a hard time with that name, but you know, there's always a throwaway line when when God appears in a movie and God will make us promise and he says I swear by myself.

You know and everyone chuckles and thinks that's hilarious. But the funny thing is is that that's actually what happens is that when God gives a promise There's no one greater that he can to make an oath by so he makes an oath by his you know.

By his on his own name on his own authority. There is no one greater and that's kind of the idea and then you'll note then that it is impossible for God to lie. And that when God makes these types of promises They're given so that we who have fled for refuge into him to him that we might have strong Encouragement to hold fast to the hope that is set before us.

And then you'll note that one of the Undercurrents major themes if you would of the book of Hebrews is this idea that faith is confidence in God a growing confidence growing encouragement that he will make good his promises.

And We live in a day where if you express confidence and certainty in your own salvation in the death resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins or if you are Confident enough to say that I am forgiven that Christ has bled and died for me.

There are some who will hear that and say you are the most arrogant person on planet Earth.

Who do you think you are and.

I get it. But the problem is is they've misidentified it. We as Christians. We have no confidence in ourselves. We have confidence in the promises of God. We have confidence in the mercy of Christ. And so you'll note that this is encouraged for us to do and when we speak thus when we speak in that way with that Confidence and certainty and all this type of stuff people are gonna mishear it and think that you are totally arrogant.

And you just sit there and go. Yeah. No. No, I I don't have any confidence in me. I'm the problem. Jesus is the solution and I'm confident that he's the solution. That's kind of the idea. So That being said you'll note that it's right there in our text for us verse 19 we have this as a sure and a steadfast anchor of the soul a Hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.

We're kind of invited behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. Having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek. All right. Now we like I said, we've done this fairly recently.

So we remember Melchizedek after Abraham rescued Lot and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the five kings that went against the four Melchizedek shows up out of nowhere and Melchizedek is the guy whom Abram tithed to.

He is the priest of God most high Melchizedek and when he arrives, what were the two things that he had with him that were of note? Bread and wine. You're gonna be shocked how many those two things come together in the Old Testament bread wine a priest that nobody has even heard of he makes a cameo appearance and then Whoosh disappears and you'll note then that in the Psalms Particularly, let me see if I can find this real quick Psalm 110, I believe Psalm 110.

Yeah, here it is. And you'll note this. This is a this is a Psalm of David and it's a Messianic Psalm and I love this the interplay here in the Hebrew of the you know. And this is one of the reasons that actually this psalm is one of the reasons why I do not like the fact that our English Bibles follow the tradition that was created by the Pharisees and That tradition is is that when God's name appears we don't say his name We say Lord instead but interesting thing in the Hebrew the Lord Yahweh said to my.

Adonai.

Yahweh said to my Adonai I.

Know.

But.

Two different words. So the first Lord capital L capital O capital R capital D. That is the name of God Yahweh. The second Lord Adonai is What we think of when we think of like a Lord or a master or a king or something like that.

And what's funny is we lose it. We kind of lose the impact of what's being said here because Jesus himself quotes this psalm against the Pharisees. He quotes him against them. You know, how is it the David says?

That the Lord said to my lord. He uses this exact theology this phrase ology here. So Yahweh says to my Adonai sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool. We're dealing with Jesus Christ here.

So Yahweh sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter rules rule in the midst of your enemies. Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in Holy garments from the womb of the morning the dew of your youth will be yours.

Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. So, you know David prophesying regarding Christ. This is clearly about him and This is kind of a fascinating.

Two words together, you know, it's hyphenated. See if I can point this out to you. It's hyphenated. Melchi hyphen is a deck king of righteousness. Melchizedek literally means the king of righteousness.

Right. I wonder who that could be so he shows up in Genesis the king of righteousness and it also just so happens that he's also the king of Salem the king of Shalom. The king of peace. We so you got the strange thing going on here.

And so you'll note then the prophecy of Psalm 110. Is that the Messiah? The Lord who Yahweh said sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool. That he is a priest not according to Aaron, but he's a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

So Jesus has a different priesthood and the Aaronic priesthood all. That time that it was up and running was pointing to Jesus's priesthood. Chapter 7 of Hebrews. This Melchizedek the king of Salem priest of the Most High God met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and he blessed him and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.

He talking about Melchizedek is first by translation of his name king of righteousness. Melchizedek and then he is also king of Shalom of Salem that is the king of peace. He is without father or mother or Genealogy having neither beginning of days nor end of life.

But resembling the Son of God he continues as a priest for ever. Who does that sound like?

Hmm.

Hmm sounds a lot like Jesus.

The Incarnation and the Two Natures of Christ

Now.

It's from here that I want to launch into a slightly more complicated topic and that is rightly understanding the incarnation of Christ and I feel that this is Absolutely necessary to do a little bit more of an in-depth study yes at the beginning of our introduction into the book of Leviticus because when we talk about Jesus So many people have a false understanding of Christ that their Christology if not Overtly heretical is coming really scarily close to becoming heretical.

So when we say that Jesus is The son of David, what are we referring to?

Say it louder.

Genealogy, okay, so he's the son of David. Let's take a look at a text real quick and we'll come back to Hebrews 7 in a while. But Romans chapter 1 consider what the Apostle Paul writes Verse 3 concerning his son God's Son who was descended from David according to the flesh and He was declared to be the Son of God in power According to the Spirit of Holiness by his resurrection from the dead Jesus Christ our Lord.

So when we talk about Jesus Jesus is God and he is man. How many Jesus's are there?

One.

Now here's the analogy when any of us Dies, it is the ripping apart of our body and our soul and You'll note then that while we are alive We have both a soul and a body and they interact with each other in a way.

That is so they interpenetrate in a way that there's only one of you. There's not two of you. There's one of you and So the body doesn't become the soul the soul doesn't become the body but they are united in the one Person and I'll use the Greek word here hypostasis.

Into the one person that you are. There's not two. Maryland's Maryland the soul Maryland the body there is only Maryland the person who is comprised of a body and a soul. You with me so far now when it comes to Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is one person and he has a full human nature, which is going to include a body and a soul and so it's important to note that he has a human soul and the divine nature come together in the one person who is Jesus Christ and they interpenetrate in such a way that there is only one person and yet There's not two of them.

There's only one of them and they do not become like a third substance. Like if you were to take the color blue add it with the color yellow you gal get the color green. So the idea here is is in the coming together in the incarnation.

There is one Lord Jesus Christ who is both God and man which the the unity of the person is so complete that Nothing that Jesus does and I mean that's not a single thing that he does. Can he do apart from his divine nature?

Including blowing his nose combing his hair. Brushing his teeth working with his dad in the carpenter's shop. You kind of see what I'm saying here. So everything that Jesus does he does by virtue of the fact that he is the one person.

With two natures that make up that one person. It's with me so far just like you have a body and a soul now there is a very deadly teaching that is running rampant through evangelicalism today and this teaching says that Jesus performed all of his miracles by in one way or another laying aside his divinity and All of the miracles that he performed he did by virtue of the fact that he was a man.

Who was indwelt by the Holy Spirit the same way we Christians are?

Now.

If you haven't heard this Chances are you will give it time. This is like the heresy of the day that's running through the church right now and What this doctrine does is it turns Jesus into and I mean this like the ultimate example of what it looks like to be a spirit-filled charismatic Pentecostal Christian.

And By him being it showing us What's possible? We are supposed to now operate in miracles the way he did. But here's the issue can Jesus lay aside his divinity. Did he lay aside his divinity. No, and so here's where it's going to get interesting.

We're going to take a look at some passages in light of the fact that scripture reveals that in the one Lord Jesus Christ There are two natures. And you'll note then one of the things we know about God from what the Old Testament says about God is that God is.

Unchangeable.

The.

Highfalutin theological phrase we use for God in that sense is then God is immutable. God doesn't change. God doesn't mutate God stays the same. So the question then is is that when it comes to the virtue of the fact that you have the divine in the human nature in the one person of Jesus Christ How then are the attributes of each of those natures kind of distributed or work within you work with each each other.

So the best way to put it then is is that Jesus who has a divine nature the divine nature cannot change so none of the attributes of the humanity that Christ has can be imputed to the divine nature instead.

The human nature is the one that receives the benefits of being united with the divine. Does that make sense? So the the attributes of divinity they can be shared by the humanity. But it doesn't go the opposite way just goes one way and so in that regard I want to show you a couple of passages.

Because this has everything to do again with Melchizedek and we'll talk about this in a minute we're gonna look at. I Want John Chapter to John chapter 2.

By the way.

If in order to disprove this idea that Jesus didn't do any of his miracles by virtue of his divinity. How many vert how many? Examples do you need to prove the whole thing bunk? You just need one and this will be the one We're familiar with this one on the third day.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out the mother of Jesus said to him they have no wine.

And Jesus said to her woman What does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants do whatever he tells you now. There were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification each holding 20 or 30 gallons.

Jesus said to the servants fill the jars with water. They filled them up to the brim and he said to them now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine and did not know where it came from.

Though the servants who had drawn the water knew the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him Everyone serves the good wine first and when the people have drunk freely then the poor wine.

But you have kept the good wine until now this the first of his signs. Jesus did at Cana in Galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in.

Him.

According to verse 11 who performed the miracle.

Jesus.

He did this in order to manifest whose glory His own it says his own. He did this to manifest his own and As a result of him manifesting his own glory by him performing this miracle the disciples believed in.

Him.

How was Jesus able?

To.

Take water and a lot of it and turn it into the best wine ever. He did this by virtue of his divine nature and. This text is.

Unmistakably.

Clear.

Mary, the Mother of My Lord, and the Communication of Attributes

Now in the incarnation then we have some strange things That happen as far as our language is concerned. I want you to take a look at Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1 and We're gonna note the account of when Mary who was pregnant at this point with Jesus comes to visit Elizabeth and Here's what it says and you'll note strange language here Luke 139 in those days Mary arose went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah.

She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth and when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and She exclaimed with a loud cry.

So you're gonna note that what is going to come next is an ecstatic response. Literally by virtue of the fact that the Holy Spirit had filled her so you can think of this as a prophetic utterance on Her part.

Blessed are you among women? Blessed is the fruit of your womb and why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord? Should come to me. Does God have a mommy? No, and Now yes. You see you see how this is kind of interesting one of the ways in which you can detect an ancient heresy the The ancient church came up with a phrase and they would refer to Mary as the Theotokos the God-bearer.

And or you can say mother of God, you know, that's kind of how it gets translated today and we hear a phrase like that.

We go.

You know this this smacks of Roman Catholicism's false Mariology. But it isn't. So there's Jesus Christ as a fetus in the womb of Mary and He is already.

Both.

God and man. So when Mary gives birth in One sense you can say Mary gave birth to God it's incomplete. Because she didn't give birth to God she gave birth to the God-man. She gave birth to Jesus Christ who has both a human nature and a divine nature.

He's one person. So you'll note then that there's strange language that occurs in scripture that if you don't properly understand how the incarnation works and how within the one man Jesus Christ There are two natures and they do not co-mingle in a way where they create a third substance.

But they interpenetrate each other in such a way that you can literally say there's only one Jesus. That that this is going on and now you can Elizabeth can say. An ecstatic utterance under the unction of the Holy Spirit.

How is it that the mother of my Lord which is a term of deity? Should come and visit me. You see the Something's really changed here and it's important for us to see this now another example.

Yes. Yes.

She she uses the word courios. She uses the word curious, which is the Greek word. This is not out and I this is curious.

Right and.

For a Jewish lady. To refer to someone as her Lord in this sense is not talking about I don't I. It's actually goes back to the concept of Yahweh my Lord.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm. No, no, no, he had done he had done a single one yet. We don't know.

Yeah.

I said this this is this isn't all of the exegetes kind of work through this and have to Really struggle with it because here's the thing it doesn't say we don't know if Jesus winked at her. You don't know.

We don't know what's going on. If we I kind of like to think of it in those terms because it doesn't say how she knows he's gonna do something. But she knows he's gonna do something and yet he says to her Gune woman, you know, my time is not yet.

Come. I almost think Jesus said woman. My time is not yet come. Yeah, you know right he just do what he says, you know. There's some kind of nonverbal communication going on here and we don't know if it's of the Holy Spirit.

We don't know if it's between mother and son, you know, and that's a tight connection, you know, so We don't know. We just we honestly have no we do not have the definitive answer. We just know that she knew.

Yes. Yes, exactly.

Now.

We're coming up on Advent and our church is already wonderfully decorated for the upcoming Holiday season and so we will again hear the prophecies regarding Christ. The Virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son and call his name.

What? Emmanuel yeah, God with us and That's who Jesus is. He is God with us and Yet he's also the son of David. You see this is not an either or this is a both and and you can't mingle the two. In fact, it's almost improper theologically to talk about Jesus in the abstract by Kind of tearing up his his two natures.

You have to keep them together. But you can note where the divinity clearly is having an impact on the humanity. You know that by virtue of the fact so we call that by the way the communication of the attributes.