Leviticus 4:1-12
All Sin Counts (2)
We began looking at the Sin Offering a few weeks ago. The Sin
Offering was a blood sacrifice, meaning that somehow it pictured sin,
salvation, and the Savior. Indeed, in some ways this sacrifices
pictures these three more than any of the other five practical
offerings at which we will look.
Several thoughts:
I. All Sin Counts
A. I attempted to make this clear in our last study.
B. Several ways that is pictured, but this biggest way is that
these were offering for ignorance.
1. The word "ignorance" is used four times in this chapter
\\#Lev 4:2,13,22,27\\.
2. I do not see a time when this offering is offered for
anything except for a sacrifice committed in ignorance.
3. Remember that in the courtroom of sin, ignorance is not a
defense.
4. Since Jesus died…
a. The message has been preached from one corner of the
globe throughout the whole.
b. The church has been created, called, empowered, and
implanted through the world.
c. The Bible has been translated into most languages.
d. And in this country and state, we have had Bible
preaching churches in abundance.
e. Today more than ever before, no human being has a
reason NOT TO KNOW who Jesus is and what Jesus has
done.
5. But IF YOU WERE TOTALLY IGNORANT, God will not let it
slide.
6. All sin counts.
II. All Sinners Count
A. That means no one gets by with sin, not even the powerful.
1. In this chapter, we see an offering was required from:
a. The High Priest \\#4:1-12\\ (That refers to the
preacher.)
b. The congregation \\#4:13-21\\ (That is when the whole
nation choses to do something wrong like what is
happening on so many fronts in America.)
c. The ruler \\#4:22-26\\
d. Every individual \\#4:27-35\\
2. That means no one gets by with sin, no one.
a. Not in Israel.
b. Not today.
c. Politicians, the wealthy, and the connected may have
their means of circumventing their actions on this
plane; but before God, all are held accountable.
B. But not only do the powerful not get away with sin, neither do
the poor.
1. \\#Lev 5:6\\ If you did not have a female goat, you could
bring a female lamb.
2. \\#Lev 5:7\\ If you did not have a female lamb, you could
two turtledoves or pigeons.
3. \\#Lev 5:11\\ If you did not have turtledoves or pigeons,
you could bring an ephah of flour,
4. God brought the quality of the sin offering down to a non-
living flour!
a. That is not a picture of Jesus, the Sin Bearer, is it?
b. But it is a picture of God, the Lover if sinners! God
wanted every sinner to be able to have their sins
forgiven so He made a way even if it distorts the
picture of the Savior!
C. But God not only brought the value of the Sin Offering down
for the poor, He raised it up according to the knowledge of
sin a person should have had.
1. Remember, all Sin Offerings were for sins committed in
ignorance.
a. If you committed a willful sin, you had to bring a
Trespass Offering.
b. So we are not talking about the degree of rebellion
or the intention of the offense.
2. So when God RAISED the value of a Sin Offering, He was
doing so because the offeror SHOULD have had more
knowledge of what was pleasing to the Lord and what was
not.
3. Note the range:
a. The High Priest and congregation brought the most
costly sacrifices (a bullock).
(1) Without doubt, the High Priest should know the
Law.
(a) Like the preacher today, the law had been
committed into his keeping.
(b) It was his job to study, to teach it, and to
preach it.
(c) There is no one who should know the Word of
God better than those to whom it has been
committed.
(2) But the congregation offered the same sacrifice
as the High Priest for sin because they were
supposed to be listening to and obeying the High
Priest.
(a) At that time, there were no individual
copies of God’s Word for the common man.
(b) There were no Bible schools for the common
man.
(c) Because of the rural and rugged layout of
the land, in some areas there was not even
a priest or a Levite that some could call
upon.
(d) But the nation has a whole had the
priesthood and there was no excuse for the
WHOLE nation to ignorantly do anything
against the Word of God!
i. Just like today, national decisions
are publicized, discussed, and
debated, so they were then.
ii. That time and notice gave the people
plenty of opportunity to seek God
before making a decision.
(e) So God required a more expensive sacrifice
of the congregation—and I believe of our
nation when we, as a nation, make sinful
choices.
b. Then the ruler brought a male kid of the goats.
(1) Why?
(2) Although the ruler had no personal priest, he was
the king and could certainly find the answer to
any question he desired.
(3) In fact, God seemed to assign to a king a prophet
to tell him what he needed to know—whether he
wanted him or not.
c. Then the common man was to bring a female kid of the
goats for his access to the Word was the most
limited.
III. All Sin Cuts or Separates
A. Every offering we have studied reveals at least one major
truth.
1. The Burnt Offering best illustrated Jesus our Sacrifice.
2. The Meat Offering best illustrated unity.
3. The Peace Offering best illustrated our fellowship with
God.
4. The Sin Offering best illustrated the damage sin does
between the sinner and God. Sin cuts the sinner off
from God.
B. This is seen in what is done with the Sin Offering.
1. Although it starts out the same, it ends up being the most
unusual of all the other sacrifices.
2. \\#4\\ like the others, the sacrifice was brought to the
door of the tabernacle.
a. The sinner would cast himself on the sacrifice,
symbolically transferring his sin to the sacrifice.
b. Then the sinner would kill the sacrifice.
3. \\#8-10\\ Like the Peace Offering, the fat, the caul above
the liver, and the kidneys were offered to God,
4. But then things changed in two ways. We will only discuss
one tonight.
C. \\#5-7\\ The blood was brought to the tabernacle!
Lev 4:5 And the priest that is anointed shall
take of the bullock’s blood, and bring it to the
tabernacle of the congregation:
1. In the other sacrifices, the blood was sprinkled on the
burnt altar.
2. Here, the blood is taken to the Holy Place where it will
placed in two different places. The rest of the blood
will be poured out.
a. The blood was to be sprinkled seven times in front of
the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the
Holy of Holies.
Lev 4:6 And the priest shall dip his finger in
the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times
before the LORD, before the vail of the
sanctuary.
(1) On the other side of the curtain was the Ark of
the Covenant, the place where the presence of
God abode.
(2) That side of the curtain was as close a human
being could get to the presence of God.
(3) Why sprinkle blood there? Because sin cuts us
off from the presence of God.
b. The blood was to be rubbed on the horns of the Altar
of Incense.
Lev 4:7 And the priest shall put some of the
blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet
incense before the LORD….
(1) The Altar of Incense was inside of the Holy Place
and had incense burning on it 24/7.
(2) Incense in the Bible was a picture of our prayers
ascending up to God as a sweet odor.
(3) Why place the blood there? Because sin cuts our
prayers off from God.
3. The catch is you had to bring a Sin Offering to get back
into the presence of God or for your prayers to be
answered.
a. Even more, you had to bring the CORRECT Sin Offering.
b. The High Priest could not bring a goat and the common
man could not bring a male kid of the goats.
c. Now there is only one acceptable Sacrifice, Jesus
the Son of God.
Have you brought your Sin Offering to the Lord?
IV. All Sin Costs - We will discuss that next.
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