Leviticus 1:1-9
Jesus Paid It All (3)
Two weeks ago, we began a new series of messages on the seven major
sacrifices. Five of them were practical, everyday sacrifices: the
Burnt Offering, the Meat Offering, the Peace Offering, the Sin
Offering, the Trespass Offering. Two of them were ceremonial
sacrifices: the Passover, and Yom Kippur.
The sacrifice being discussed in this chapter is the Burnt Offering.
It was the most common of all the sacrifices and taught the Old
Testament saints three lessons.
I. The Burnt Offering taught us about our sinful nature.
A. The Burnt Offering was an animal sacrifice that was to be
burning on the altar 24/7.
B. There were sacrifices for specific sins, namely the Sin
Offering and the Trespass Offering. If the Lord allows, we
will discuss both of these.
C. So there was no need for another sacrifice to represent what
Jesus did to remove specific sins.
D. Yet because an animal died, this sacrifice a sin sacrifice.
E. What sin? It is a sacrifice for man’s sinful nature. The
nature that is with us 24/7, even when we have not specific
sin that we need to deal with.
F. This sacrifice tells us that when Jesus died, He not only paid
for our sins, but our sin nature as well.
II. The Burnt Offering taught us about the perfect Sacrifice, Jesus
Christ.
A. Last week we noted eight truths gleamed from the burnt
sacrifice that spoke of Jesus Christ.
B. While these nuggets were largely hidden from the eyes of the
offerors of the Old Testament, they were there and helped
point out and point to the one true Sacrifice.
C. For those who us who came after the cross, it is an easy task
to look backward and see Jesus.
1. Interestingly, we have had the fulfilled sacrifices longer
than the Jews offered sacrifices.
2. Moses lived around 1500 BC and the sacrifices stopped
when the Jewish temple was last destroyed in 70 AD,
meaning the longest the Jews offered sacrifices was about
1500 years and with the Babylonian captivity, it would be
closer to 1400 years.
III. The Burnt Offering taught us about the sinner.
A. \\#2\\ It is the sinner’s choice to offer a sacrifice or not.
Lev 1:2 ..if any man bring….
Lev 1:3 …he shall offer it of his own voluntary
will at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation before the LORD.
1. No sinner had to bring a Burnt Offering or any offering.
a. We are speaking in this chapter of the Burnt Offering,
but this is not only true of the Burnt Offering but
of all the offerings.
(1) No one was required to bring it.
(2) It was each person’s choice.
b. True, offerings were required to be part of the
covenant with God, that is to have a relationship
with God.
c. But God did not demand the people bring sacrifices.
(1) It was up to them.
(2) It was their choice.
d. Perhaps it sounds like a pet peeve of mine and perhaps
it is, but Calvinism is not taught in the Bible.
(1) Choice is taught in the Bible, and it is taught
throughout the Bible.
(2) I am amazed at how many people believe something
that no Bible verse teaches and so many teach
against.
(3) If Calvinism was true and God was making the
Burnt Offering picture it, God would have
picked those who would bring the offerings.
(4) He did not because that is not what salvation is.
(5) God let each man choose whether he would bring an
offering or not.
2. But then again, any sinner could bring an offering.
a. No one was forced to bring an offering but no one was
denied the opportunity to bring an offering.
(1) Notice that the text says "any man" not "any son
of Abraham."
(2) Anyone, Jew or even a Gentile, could bring a
Burnt Offering to God or not.
b. If you wanted to have fellowship with God, two things
were true:
(1) You could and you can.
(a) Any one in any age could come to God.
(b) Although it is not clearly stated in the
Scripture, I believe God taught the fallen
Adam, Eve, Cain, Able, and Seth how to have
a relationship with Him.
(c) I also believe Noah and all of Noah’s sons
got off the ark knowing how to have a
relationship with God, but parents failed
yet again to teach their children.
(d) The fact that parents failed to teach their
children to have that relationship was not
and is not God’s fault.
(2) You would have to have it the way God said to
have it.
(a) You could not make up your own rules.
(b) You still can’t.
(c) Fellowship between man and God is not a
relationship of two equals.
(d) It is the Holy God allowing sinful man to
have a relationship with HIM, and so we
must come to God God’s way.
B. The sinner’s sins were placed upon the sacrifice.
Lev 1:4 And he (the sinner) shall put his hand
upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall
be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
1. The Hebrew word for put is more than just to touch or to
lay your hand upon.
2. The word means to lean upon, to bear up, to rest oneself.
3. There was a day that I did not merely touch the Savior nor
did He merely touch me, but I cast myself upon Him!
a. I threw myself upon that Sacrifice.
b. Not only then but now, my Jesus bears me up!
c. I rest with my sins upon Him.
4. I have pointed out many times through the years that it
was possible for those who were healed by Jesus to
receive their healing and still be lost.
a. Indeed, although it seems unthinkable, it was possible
for a person to be raised from the dead by Jesus and
still be lost.
b. Why?
(1) Because salvation is not secured by receiving a
miracle.
(2) Salvation is secured by faith and repentance.
(3) Just because blind eyes were given sight, or
lame legs were given strength, or
deaf ears were opened, even
a dead lifeless body given life, it did not mean
that the person believed on and repented to the
Lord.
c. Yet, I have never found thought of a good way to
illustrate that—until now.
5. What is the difference between one who was healed by Jesus
and one who was saved by Jesus?
a. The one who was healed only touched Jesus while the
one who was saved cast himself upon Jesus.
b. This is why salvation is referred to as "his rest" in
Hebrew 4:1.
c. Concerning the Israelites who left Egypt, not all
"entered into his rest" the Bible says.
(1) That means that not all were saved, although they
were all witnesses and benefactors of God’s
powerful miracles.
(2) Why? Because while all may have been touched by
the mighty hand of God, not all cast themselves
upon God.
(3) They had no rest for they were still supporting
themselves.
(4) When we cast ourselves upon Jesus, He bears the
weight of our sins.
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
C. \\#Lev 1:5\\ The sinner killed the sacrifice.
1. You might miss this if you are not following the pronouns,
but the sinner not the priest killed the sacrifice.
a. \\#Lev 1:2\\ …If any man…
b. \\#Lev 1:3\\ If his offering…
c. \\#Lev 1:4\ And he shall put his hand…
d. \\#Lev 1:5\\ And HE shall kill the bullock before the
Lord….
e. The sinner is the antecedent of all these pronouns.
2. After the bullock is dead, THEN "…the priests, Aaron’s
sons, shall bring the blood…," but they do not touch
anything until after the sinner slays the animal.
3. Make no mistake:
(a) It may have been God who poured His wrath upon Jesus,
but it was me who killed Him.
(b) It may have been the Jews who arrested Jesus, lied
about Him , and with trumped-up charges nailed Jesus
to the cross; but it was me who killed Him.
(c) It may have been a Roman judge, a Roman scourge, a
Roman cross, a Roman nail hammered in with Roman
hands who put Jesus on the cross, but it was me who
killed him.
4. Don’t miss the lesson that was displayed twice every day
by the priests and thousands of time daily by individual
Jews who offered their Burnt Offerings.
5. What lesson?
(a) That is the sinner who killed Jesus.
(b) The blame can go no further nor rest on anyone else’s
door stoop.
D. \\#10-17\\ Any sinner, regardless of their status in life, may
come.
1. I have already alluded to this, but theses verses the
truth is clearly taught.
2. It is not only the details of this book that some find
boring. It is also the repetition.
a. In many of the Old Testament Bible passages, God
required His penman to write the same words—often
the exact same words—over and over again because the
same procedure or ritual was being done over and
over again, just in a slightly different context.
b. Sadly, most of the time, we cannot see that there was
a difference at all.
c. But here, there is a difference.
3. Three different sized animals could be offered as a Burnt
Offering.
a. \\#Lev 1:1-9\\ A large animal like a bull.
b. \\#Lev 1:10-13\\ A medium-sized animal like a sheep
or a goat.
c. \\#Lev 1:14-17\\ A small animal like a turtle dove or
pigeon.
4. Consider:
a. Why the three animals?
(1) Because if one could not afford the large
animal, perhaps he could bring the sheep or
goat.
(2) But if he could not afford a sheep or a goat,
he could at least catch a couple of turtle doves
or pigeons.
(3) That way, no one was barred by his finances from
having a relationship with God.
(4) God wants the richest of the wealthy and the
poorest of the paupers to be able to worship
Him.
b. All of these animals were clean animals by the law.
(1) Why?
(2) Because Jesus Christ, our Sacrifice was not
defiled by sin
c. All of the animals cost the sinner something.
(1) Except for the birds, they were not wild
(a) We understand the cost of the bulls, goats,
and sheep.
(b) A person too poor to provide the larger
animals would spend his time to catch the
birds and would also be sacrificing the
cost of a meal to give them.
(2) Why must there be a price paid?
(a) Because Jesus paid the price for our sins.
(b) And because the Christian life does cost
the sinner something.
i. Salvation has no cost to receive it,
but there is a cost to live it.
ii. We must surrender ourselves, our
rights, our will, our control to
Jesus.
iii. It is a small price, but that which
costs nothing is not appreciated.
I will close by reminding you of something I said when speaking of
the sacrifice. When the sacrifice is brought, the innocent died and
the guilty goes free. If the sacrifice was the innocent one, then the
sinner must be the guilty one.
Friend, it matters not who you are or what you have, if you are
willing to come to Jesus, you can come.
<Outline
Index> <Close Window>
