Series: Leviticus Title: Accepted in the Mighty Bullock

Series: Leviticus Title: Accepted in the Mighty Bullock Text: Leviticus 1: 1-9 Date: August 10, 2014 Place: SGBC, New Jersey

Last time, we focused only on beholding Christ and his work in the Mighty Bullock. This time we will focus on how God draws his child and accepts us through faith in Christ.

Leviticus 1, shows a picture of what happens when God speaks through his Son, Christ the Mediator, through the gospel, into the hearts of his children.

I. FIRST, GOD DRAWS HIS CHOSEN CHILD TO WHERE HE HAS CONGREGATED HIS PEOPLE AND CHRIST BEGINS TO SPEAK INTO THE HEART THROUGH THE GOSPEL— Leviticus 1: 1: And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation,

Out of the tabernacle of the congregtation: out of heaven, the holiest of holies, the sanctuary, the tabernacle which God pitched. The holy, triune God calls to the Mediator, Christ Jesus. Christ gives the message to his messenger, like as he called to Moses.

Leviticus 1: 1:…saying, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel,…

God sends Christ the Mediator and Christ sends his messenger with a message. If you hear the word of God this morning it will not be as the words of a man, but as it is in truth the word of God, the word of Christ the Mediator.

He says, “Speak unto the children of Israel.” Christ is not sent to everyone in the world, not sent to every man-made tabernacle where folks congregate. Christ is sent to the elect of God—to God true spiritual children of Israel.

Leviticus 1: 2:…and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.

The message of the gospel is seen right here—God will be approached one way—God’s way. 1. Christ is that Way—“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (Jn 14: 6)

This offering of the burnt offering has one great object—to foreshadow God's appointed way—Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is the one typified in the Mighty Bullock. Christ and his work is the key to unlock all that is pictured here. Leviticus is Christ and his finished work fore-shown. Christ and his finished work is Leviticus unfolded. Leviticus casts forward the shadow. In Christ we behold the express image. And the Light to behold the shadow and the image is the Sun of Righteousness himself—Christ Jesus.

Propositions: For sinners, there is no acceptance with holy God, except in Christ, the Mighty Bullock. For sinners like you and me, there is no coming to holy and righteous God, except through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which Christ is made unto us holiness and righteousness.

Title: Accepted in the Mighty Bullock Leviticus 1: 3: If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.

We hear the gospel that Christ is the Male—the Last Adam, the representative of all the elect of God. Christ is the only one without blemish—holy, sinless, perfect GodMan.

In the voluntary offering, we see God willingly gave his own Son and Christ voluntarily, willingly offered himself without spot to God.

In the hand on the head we see divine transference: God laid on Christ the iniquity of all his elect people.

Isaiah 53:6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2 Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Then in the offering being accepted to make atonement—we see how Christ was accepted of God to make atonement for his people. All God’s elect sinned against God so Christ had to do the work of making propitiation for his people. This is the only way atonement could be made for God’s people. The only way God could remain just and God himself be the justifier of his people.

Then the bullock was killed upon the altar—Christ, having been made sin for his people, on the cross, God poured out the divine wrath of justice upon Christ in the room and stead of his people.

In the breaking of the body of the bullock we see Christ’s broken body on the cross—“broken for you”— who are his people, Christ said.

In the inward parts being washed we see that while Christ bore our sins in his own body on the tree, he was perfectly holy within, fulfilling God’s will, fulfilling all righteousness, justifying his people from our sins.

In the fire consuming the sacrifice, we are reminded of the fire of divine justice, the fire of divine wrath which Christ suffered. The curse of the law we broke in Adam demanded death—eternal death—that second death—the death of that fire never quenched. In the ceremony, the fire consumed the sacrifice; But on the cross, the sacrifice consumed the fire—the offering went up to God a sweet smelling savor.

Galatians 3:13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

We see the priest apply the blood—it is Christ the High Priest, who applies his own blood—It says verse 5: round about upon the altar—“round about” means “two sprinklings.”

First, having put away our sin on the cross, Christ our holy High Priest presented his blood—himself in all his holy perfection—in the holiest of holies—that is, in God’s presence in glory.

Hebrews 9: 12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Now here is the second application, as his child hears this gospel of Christ’s accomplished redemption for his people—Christ applies this blood to the defiled conscious of his child. Hebrews 9: 13: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: [ceremonially, as we see in the type in our text] v14: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

So here you are. The first thing God does to make his people know Christ’s work was accomplished for them is to preach to them the gospel of Christ and him crucified. Then the Holy Spirit creates a new man within. Christ effectually “purges your conscious from dead works to serve the living God?”

Then God commands you, personally, to bring the very best offering—the Mighty Bullock—Leviticus 1: 3: let him offer a male without blemish:

While dead in your sins, you would have looked to yourself. We thought we were good enough. We had a little sin, but we wouldn’t call ourselves blemished. Now your conscience is washed from that dead work.

Now, you begin to see you really are a sinner with nothing to offer God of yourself. The only way you and I can draw near to Him is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no acceptance with God any other way.

But God not only commands you to bring the very best offering, God commands you to do so voluntarily, willingly—Leviticus 1: 3: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will…

Notice, God does not say, he “ought to”—God says, “he shall.” Where does this new willingness come from? God said of Christ,

Psalm 110:3: Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,…

Sinner, after beholding how God gets all the glory in Christ for perfecting his people, you didn’t think God was going to allow us to glory in our will, did you? No, Christ gets the glory. When God creates a new man within us, God also puts a new will in his people.

Ezekiel 36: 25: Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27: And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Romans 8: 16: So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Sinner, has God created you anew and purged your conscious? Has he made you see there is no coming to God except in Christ. Has he made you willing to cast all your eggs into this one basket? God does that for his people, only Christ can do that for his people.

II. THEN CHRIST THE MEDIATOR EVEN TELLS YOU WHERE YOU MUST BRING THIS WILLING OFFERING—Leviticus 1: 3:…at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.

God will have his people to first come to this Door—God brings all his people to the Door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Before the door of the congregation is where we take our place, along with the whole congregation, in the dust. Where is this Door? This Door is not a where it is a Who?

John 10: 7: Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep…9: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

We are guilty of sin, but our chief sin is that we are also guilty of not casting all our care into the hand of God’s Son.

John 16: 8: And when [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world…9: Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Many claim to want to honor God the Father, but they attempt to do so by their own works. Doing so they dishonor God’s Son whom God will have to have all preeminence for it pleased God that in him should all fullness dwell. So the way God the Father will have us to honor God is by honoring his Son.

John 5: 22: For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

We come to Christ by believing on him in our hearts—casting all our care upon him—Leviticus 1: 4: And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering;

As it pertains to the sinner, the hand upon the head represents our confession of our sins to Christ: confessing I am a sinner by Adam, by birth, by choice, by practice. You cry, “Have mercy one me the sinner!”

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This hand upon the head represents repentance from every vain way. I cannot keep God’s law; I cannot justify myself; I cannot purge my sins; I cannot make myself righteous

In all this we confess faith in Christ! We put the whole load of our sin, even our whole selves—on Christ’s shoulder, saying, “Lord I believe on you! You are all my hope.” Like Hezekiah, we cry, “O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.” Christ promised,

Matthew 11:28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

III. LASTLY, THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST GOD MAKES YOU KNOW THAT CHRIST HAS TAKEN AWAY THE WHOLE BURDEN—ALL IS DONE—Leviticus 1: 3:…and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Be sure to get this: Faith in Christ does not make Christ’s blood effectual. Christ’s blood is effectual—Christ finished the work—that is why God gives his redeemed child faith in Christ. We don’t make atonement by our faith—Christ made atonement for his people at Calvary. The believer merely receives that which Christ already accomplished.

When you believe on Christ, God makes you know that God has already transferred your sin to Christ at Calvary so your sins are all put away by Christ. Through faith, God makes you know that Christ’s righteousness is your righteousness; we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. Hebrews 10: 14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15: Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18: Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Through faith, our union with Christ is a real union. It was my sins—my crimes—which my Savior bore for me. When he was crucified that was my judgment—the old man in me crucified; when he died to the law the old man of sin in me died to the law; when he was buried the old man of sin in me was buried; when he arose my new man arose in him. I live now because Christ lives in me.

Galatians 2: 20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

For the first time, you have done something pleasing to the Lord—“for without faith in Christ it is impossible to please God.” In Christ, because of Christ seated at God’s right hand, faith in Christ comes up to God a sweet smelling savor. For the first time you find that you have real access to God and acceptance in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 10: 19: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21: And having an high priest over the house of God; 22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

For the first time, everything becomes new, old things pass away. Old foolish ways of worship—gone; old foolish mercenary ways of working for acceptance and rewards—gone; all things become new in Christ the Living Way. You are no longer constrained by law, by men, by church rules and regulations, now you begin to be constrained, in all that you do, by the love of Christ. You truly want to worship and serve God. To be under grace instead of under the law is to walk by “faith which works by love.” Christ says into the heart,

Ephesians 5: 1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2: And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Sinner, the only way God will receive you is through faith in Christ through his finished work. Come to Christ the Door through faith. Lay your hand of faith upon Christ. Confess your need of him to save you. Put all your trust in him. Do it without delay giving God all the glory, for it is only by the glory of God that any sinner can.