MESSAGE FOR PEOPLE TODAY FROM THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS |
3 of 39 lessons Theme: Faith |
Background Information: ü We asked in the book of Genesis, “How can the creation, humanity, know how to repair the broken relationship with the Creator, God?" ü In Exodus, the Hebrews were awakened by the miracles of God to know that being saved by faith includes a sacrifice (choice), and we are awakened to know being saved by grace through faith includes our behaviors which are a living sacrifice (behavior). |
Statement of Faith to Say Amen to for the Book of Leviticus: I can be a witness who has a heart that is set apart from the world by choosing to listen to God and not the worldview. |
Essential Question: Can I be a witness who repairs the broken covenant relationship with God by presenting a living sacrifice that builds an inner temple for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to reside? |
Book of Leviticus: Have students read pages 27-34 in The Rock of Faith. After students read the information ask them, "What do you want to talk about?"
The Issue: During the pre-church age, the Hebrews were expected to remember the covenant promises that were made between God and Abraham. One of those covenant promises is how Abraham’s descendants would receive a blessing where people who bless Abraham’s descendants will be blessed and people who curse Abraham’s descendants will be cursed. This includes a binding covenant promise between the creation, humanity, and the Creator, God. When God teaches the Hebrews to be holy because God is holy, He was teaching how to connect holiness to how we love. In the book of Leviticus, God taught the Hebrews how to love differently than the world was teaching people how to love.
The book of Leviticus is where people learn to sacrifice against a standard that was designed by the word of God. Approximately ninety percent of the book of Leviticus was spoken directly by God. As it was spoken by God in Leviticus 19:2, “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” This was a call to be set apart and different from the world, and to have a heart that is holy by teaching the Hebrews how to love God and others with God’s commandments and the sacrifice. This includes a binding promise to obey.
A sacrifice is a choice. A sacrifice does not include multiple options for a choice. It is an either/or choice where you must lose something to gain something. This includes a binding promise between the creation and the Creator, God. A covenant is made with love because there are promises that bind the covenant. As it is written in Leviticus 18:3, God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites not to act like the people in Egypt, or the people living in the land of Canaan because they have ordinances that are not like God’s commandments. God’s commandments reflect the holiness of God. The Israelites were given a choice: God or false gods. God gave them ten commandments to obey. 1. Thou shall have no other God before me. The world was teaching a sacrifice to false gods. 2. Thou shall not make unto thee any graven images. The world made wooden idols of false gods to worship. 3. Do not say God’s name in vain. The world lied to people serving false gods by justifying sin, so when God punished sin, people would be angry with God and not be convicted of sin. 4. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. The world did not remember God’s holiness. 5. Honor your mother and father. The world was not teaching that we are born sinners, with sinful, selfish natures. 6. You shall not kill. The world was teaching an eye for an eye. 7. You shall not commit adultery. The world was teaching men to have multiple wives. 8. You shall not steal. The world taught how false gods provide prosperity which justifies taking what you want. 9. You shall not bear a false witness against your neighbor. The world was teaching how to manipulate the situation to avoid punishment. 10. You shall not covet. The world was teaching us to value material possessions above repairing the relationship with God. The book of Leviticus is mostly a direct conversation with God. God spoke directly to Moses and Aaron, and the people could hear the Lord speaking to Moses and Aaron. The first ten chapters are direct instructions from God explaining in detail how to perform a sacrifice. Then, God describes how the relationship between the sacrifice and God’s commandments recognizes the justice of God’s holiness. This is how God taught the Hebrews to have a heart that is a reflection of the holiness of God and not the world. The Spirit of God would reside in the Ark of the Covenant, and this was a symbol of God’s love for His people. God resides with the Hebrews to teach them He loves them.
The Truth is Important: Now we can look at the sacrifice Jesus made and go out into the world and understand that if we gain the whole world and lose our soul, we have not gained anything. By hearing and reading about the life Jesus lived, we can understand how to present ourselves as a living sacrifice apart from the world. Our living sacrifice is to be built on The Rock of Faith and not sinking sand (the worldview).
The Promise of God: While the Israelites were with Moses in the desert, they made a camp and set a tent in the middle of the camp. This was called the tent of meeting, and the Ark of the Covenant was placed there. The Ark of the Covenant was a place where the spirit, or presence, of God could dwell. God was teaching the Israelites to be holy because He is holy, and this was impacting the sacrifices (choices) the Israelites were making. Just as the spirit of God would reside in the Ark of the Covenant during the pre-church age, during the church age we are to build an internal temple to reflect the holiness of God, and when we align our temple with the Chief Cornerstone on The Rock of Faith the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can reside within our internal temple just as the Spirit of God would reside in the Ark of the Covenant. |
Activity: The activity directions are located in Appendix 3. Students will play a game called Sin. |
Conclusion: Does the world teach us to be holy because God is holy? How did Jesus teach us to love? |
Next Lesson: In the book of Numbers, the Hebrews were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah/ Savior. Before Jesus came, God put leaders in place the prophets, and the Levitical priests to teach the Hebrews how to sacrifice. A high priest was also able to atone for sin. Now we can look at the sacrifice Jesus made to understand how He can sanctify and atone for us by having all sin forgiven. |
Blog
Question One:
Does the world teach us to obey God's commandments?
Question Two:
Do you believe God's commandments are important for people to know today?
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