3. Jesus In Leviticus

1/24/2021

Introduction

This morning we will be partaking of communion together. In 1 Corinthians 11:24 we are told to do it in remembrance of Jesus. As we prepare for communion then, we are going to consider a few aspects of how the book of Leviticus points us to Jesus and His work of redemption. We have looked at Genesis and Exodus in the past. So we are continuing on to see how different books of the Bible point to and help us remember Christ and our salvation.

Overview

Leviticus is not generally one of the most read books of the Bible. So it will probably be especially helpful to begin with a brief overview of the book. That will help us have some idea of what the whole book is about as we consider its relationship to Jesus and our lives.

Leviticus is God’s law book. It regulates how the priests were to carry out worship and how people were to relate to God and each other. The last verse of the book sums it up.

Leviticus 27:34 These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai.

These were laws which were given at a specific time and place. Because of that it is written in narrative style and there are some events and interactions in the midst of it. It is not just a listing of laws. Though there is a lot of that. In it we have the record of the consecration and commission of Aaron and his sons as priests and of the tabernacle for its sacrificial service (Lev. 8). Then there is the “strange fire” offering which two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, ended up giving which resulted in their death (Lev. 10). We also have the stoning of Shelomith’s son who got in a fight and blasphemed God (Lev. 24).

In the midst of these events at Mount Sinai, the first 7 chapters give careful directions on the different kinds of sacrifices and how they were to be done. Then there were laws on clean and unclean animals, leprosy, discharges, childbirth, incest and improper relationships. After that there are also instructions on the special feasts of Israel, with a whole chapter devoted to the Day of Atonement and the care required to enter the holy of holies (Lev. 16). There are instructions on what parts of the sacrifices were for the priests, and who could eat them. There were laws and instructions for the 7th year of rest and the jubilee year. There were laws of life governing people’s relationship to one another. The book concludes with a promise of blessing from God for obedience and judgment for disobedience. Then there are final laws on redemption from difficult vows or something consecrated to God.

All of these laws and events highlight the holiness of God. Seventeen times throughout the book it is emphasized that the sacrifices that were being made must be without blemish. If the blood of these animals was going to atone for sin it had to be a perfect sacrifice done in the right way. Since the penalty for sin is death this was the only way that God’s people would be acceptable before Him in their current situation. Their sin had to be dealt with. And yet, the sacrifices had to be done over and over again. Sin continued to be committed and one animal sacrifice was not enough. It was a never-ending process. The animal sacrifices would never end up fixing the problem.

While it can be considered a “law book” Leviticus also naturally extends what occurred in the book of Exodus.

• Exodus proclaimed that Israel was to be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). Leviticus shows us what that looks like.
• Exodus gave the 10 commandments in Exodus 20. Leviticus gives more details of the law.
• Exodus gave the instructions for building the tabernacle and preparing the priestly garments. Leviticus commissions and shows us how the tabernacle was to be used and how the priests were to serve.

With that overview of the book of Leviticus, the question that we have this morning is:

How Does The Book Of Leviticus Point Forward To Christ And Help Us Remember His Sacrifice?

• Leviticus graphically portrays the necessity of the sacrifice of blood for atonement of sin. It highlights the cost of sin. It foreshadows the need for Christ’s sacrifice to pay for sins once for all since it could not deal with sins completely like that.
• Leviticus provides the basis or foundation for Christ’s work of salvation. The lamb was the primary sacrificial animal by which atonement was made. In John 1:29 we are told that Jesus is the fulfillment of that. As John the Baptist declared upon seeing Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Leviticus expresses, declares, decrees God’s law on the sacrificial system by which Israel was to be holy, to relate to a holy God, and to relate to each other.

God is holy. This book starkly reminds us of that. The extent of the sacrificial system and the death required to deal with sin both hammer this home. But thanks be to God, the sacrificial system provided a way that His people could be accepted before Him and their sin atoned for. It sanctified for the purification of the flesh as Hebrews 9:13 tells us. The flesh of the animals covered the sin done in the flesh. Additionally, the blood could atone for their souls as Leviticus 17:11 said. Yet there were still inadequacies. What about their sinful heart, their conscience, their thoughts, and their desires? And what about high-handed sins, or those done which received the death penalty?

In Moses’ day, like today, people had to walk by faith trusting in God to atone for and deal with these things. Yet how God would do it was not the clearest—except that there had been prophecy of a coming One and a coming way that God would bring blessing on the whole world and deal with the fall and Satan (Gen. 3:15, 12:3, 49:10). In the meantime they had to walk by faith continuously carrying out the prescribed animal sacrifices. Their sin had to be continually transferred to the animals on their behalf. But it was not a perfect, complete solution.

From the book of Hebrews in the New Testament we know that the animal sacrifices could not make those who drew near perfect (Hebrews 10:1). It could not remove the consciousness of sins (Hebrews 10:2), nor perfect their consciences (Hebrews 9:9), nor take away sins (Hebrews 10:3, 11). These animal sacrifices and their insufficiencies all pointed towards the need for a greater savior. That is what Jesus provided to us on the cross, and what we remember here this morning.

Jesus, the promised Messiah, makes eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). He purifies the conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14). He gives the promised eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). He completely redeems from transgressions (Hebrews 9:15). He put away/declares paid in full/forgives sin by His once for all sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26, 28, 10:17-18). He sanctifies us once and for all by His sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10, 12). Christ makes a way for full fellowship with God within the holy places (Hebrews 10:19-20). He cleans our hearts from an evil conscience and washes our bodies with pure water (Hebrews 10:22). He purifies inner and outer, now and forever.

The early priests’ work was never done—as you would see by reading completely through Leviticus. Christ, meanwhile, completed His work and has sat down at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12). Leviticus provides the picture of the sacrificial system—God’s holiness, our sinfulness, and the need for a substitutionary atonement for our sins. Jesus is the final and complete fulfillment of all that for us and for all who will truly believe in Him for the forgiveness of their sins.

To be able to see these connections with Christ a bit more clearly we will now focus the rest of our message on briefly looking at the ways Leviticus is quoted and used in the New Testament. They have been grouped into five main quotes and then one last group of quotes.

How Is Leviticus Used In The New Testament And In Jesus’ Work Of Redemption?

1. First, in Luke 2:24 we see the sacrifice of Jesus’ parents after his birth being made in accordance with the law given in Leviticus 12:8. Jesus and His parents were careful to keep the law. The only way Jesus could take the judgment of God on our behalf and give us His righteousness was if He was perfectly righteous and perfectly kept God’s holy standard. He did in every respect.

2. Secondly, Leviticus 19:18 is the one place in the law (and the whole Old Testament for that matter) where we are told to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In the New Testament that command is repeated nine times. There it is proclaimed as the second part of the greatest commandment. Together with loving God with all your heart, soul and strength it makes up the foundation upon which all the rest of the law and the prophets depend (Matthew 22:40).

Leviticus gives laws which govern the relationship of people to one another, but the basis for it all is love. The same is true of laws which relate to God. True and complete obedience can only come by being expressed in love. When we honestly realize that the law includes both our heart motivation and our actions we realize how woefully we fall short of God’s righteous standard. Jesus fulfilled this supremely, showing us true love by His life and death for us. He did what none of us could do.

3. Thirdly, Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:12 both quote Leviticus 18:5. In those places the righteousness of the law, which could only come from perfectly living in it, is contrasted with that righteousness which comes by faith in Jesus. Christ redeems us from the judgment and curse which comes upon all those who fail to live by the law—as God’s people were commanded to do in Leviticus 18:5. Because we cannot live perfectly in the law, we must live by faith in the righteousness of Jesus to do it for us, and to transform our hearts and lives.

4. Fourthly, in Leviticus the people were commanded four times to be holy because God was their Lord and holy Himself (Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7). This command is quoted and reiterated in the New Testament in 1 Peter 1:15-16. This holiness is only possible because we have been ransomed by the blood of the perfect lamb , Jesus Christ, through faith (1 Peter 1:19). God has purified our souls since we have been born again through the living and abiding Word of God. Thus we are to love one another earnestly from a pure heart.

According to that fuller passage in 1 Peter 1:13-25, the only way we can “be holy because God is holy” is because our faith and hope is in God who has purified our souls, caused us to be born again, ransomed us with the blood of Jesus, and allowed us to call on Him as Father. Therefore, because of all that and knowing His holiness, we ought to conduct ourselves in fear not conforming ourselves to our former ignorant disobedience but rather being sober-minded with our hope set fully on the grace of God which will be brought to us at the coming of Jesus Christ. Only by faith in God can we be holy as God commands us to be. Jesus is the only way of victory over sin. Jesus is the only way of holiness.

5. Fifthly, Hebrews 8:10 and 2 Corinthians 6:16 both quote Leviticus 26:12. There it says that if the people of Israel walked in obedience to His commands God would dwell with them and be their God. They would be His people. In the Hebrews quotation the context is the fulfillment of this promise occurring within the New Covenant that other Old Testament passages had prophesied God would make with Israel. Christ is the fulfillment of these blessings within this prophesied New Covenant. It was a covenant which they would keep because God’s law would be written on their hearts. In Christ God is bringing the blessing to all nations that He promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:3). In Christ God is fulfilling the blessings of living with and dwelling with His people which Leviticus talked about.

In the larger context of Hebrews the point of this is that the work of Christ, the person of Christ, the redemption of Christ, the New Covenant of Christ is infinitely superior to everything else that came before it. Thus we must not try to shrink back under persecution and trials to the insufficient law. Rather we must persevere in faith unto the full realization of all aspects of our salvation which God is bringing about. We may have extreme troubles in this life, but must hold on to what God is doing in Christ.

In the 2 Corinthians quotation the context is understanding and living out in holiness this relationship that we have with God in Jesus. Because God is dwelling among us, because we ourselves are now His temple with His Spirit living inside of us, because He is our God, and because we are His people we must separate ourselves from ungodliness. We are to walk in holiness in fellowship with our God and Father. Just as Christ has no harmony with Satan, so too we are to have no partnership with unbelievers or unrighteousness. As those who walk with God we must come before Him in holiness.

6. Sixthly and lastly, other passages in the New Testament quote specific laws which are given in Leviticus. We were reminded to not swear or promise falsely (Lev. 19:12/Matt. 5:33), that the penalty for cursing one’s father or mother was death (Lev. 20:9/Matt. 15:4/Mark 7:10), that the penalty for adultery was death (Lev. 20:10/John. 8:5), and that the law prescribed an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Lev. 24:20/Matt. 5:38). In all of these cases Jesus pointed out that the intent and principles of the commands went farther than the way the people were legalistically and falsely applying them. They included the heart and other actions that related to the sins dealt with.

All of these commands and their quotations in the New Testament remind us that God is holy. They also reveal to us the depth of our sinfulness. Even when we think we might be complying with what the commands are saying we are often still at fault by our failure within our hearts, or by the ways we have gotten around applying the principles behind the commands.

Beyond that, these quoted laws point out to us that the consequences for breaking God’s law are not small or minor. Sin has deadly consequences. It brings death. Finally, with the many repeated animal sacrifices of Leviticus which point towards Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross, there is the reminder that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). We cannot be accepted by a holy God in our sin. It must be atoned for with death.

Conclusion

The question we are left with then is, have our sins been atoned for? The law, God’s standard, is there. The law has been broken and continues to be broken. How then are you personally dealing with that? Without the shedding of blood there will be no forgiveness. The animal sacrifices of Leviticus were but a temporary solution that pointed towards the ultimate redemption which Christ would provide at His own expense on the cross with His own body as our sacrificial lamb. The ongoing sacrifices were a continual reminder of the people’s sinfulness, God’s holiness, and the judgment that sin required (death). If there was no atonement then God’s judgment would be personally experienced.

The same remains true today. Except, we do not have the continual reminder by animal sacrifices of the evil of our sin and the judgment it deserves. And, we have a final, complete redemption and salvation provided in Jesus Christ. Jesus paid it all for those trusting in Him. So have your sins been atoned for by what He did? Have you trusted in Him to remove your sins and give you His righteousness?

If so, then He has made you His child and He is sanctifying you. He will finish that and perfect you (Hebrews 10:14, Philippians 1:6). He has set you apart as His own. He has determined to dwell with you and for you to be one of His people. Nonetheless, His standard of holiness has not changed. Rather, He expects us to separate ourselves from sin. He expects us not to have partnerships with unbelievers or fellowship with unrighteousness (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). He expects us to live by the truths of His Word in the power of His Spirit which He has given to us if we are truly His. He expects us to draw near to Him and hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering (Hebrews 10:22-23).

So as we come to the communion table, the book of Leviticus points out to us the magnitude of our sin, the brilliance of God’s holiness, and the cost of our relationship to God. It cost more than innumerable animal sacrifices for us to be forgiven and made acceptable before God. It cost the very life of the incarnate son of God. It cost the perfect unblemished life of Jesus Christ, which He willingly offered on our behalf, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and make us holy. The communion table reminds us of all this. We have the unleavened bread which represents Jesus’ perfect unblemished life. We have the fruit of the vine which represents the blood of Jesus which He gave for us.

He did not do all this to leave us in our sin, or to allow us to go back and wallow in it. No, He did it to sanctify us, to completely perfect us in holiness. He did it to make us holy as He is holy. He did it to bring forgiveness and complete restoration to fellowship and relationship with Himself. He did it to dwell with us and for us to be His people. So then my brothers and sisters, let us confess any sin in our lives. Let us surrender to God’s sanctification process day by day in our lives. Let us walk in holiness.

None of this can we do on our own. He saved us by His death, burial, and resurrection. He gives us life. He provides the ability to have victory over sin. We must draw near to Him to receive it and walk in it. We must put on the armor of God to resist temptation and having done all to stand.

So where are you at with all this? Have you remembered this morning what God has done for you? Have you confessed any sin and committed to walking with Jesus today? Have you re-committed to being a living sacrifice who is not conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of your mind in the truth of God’s Word? Will you take up your cross daily and simply follow Jesus as His disciple, as a child of the “holy, holy, holy” Lord God almighty?

Hold your life and all you own and all your plans in an open hand before God. Simply ask Him to direct your life and seek to be faithful to Him day by day in obedience to the truth of His Word. It is both simple and complicated. It is complicated if you resist it, and simple if you are committed to Him and seeking out His will through His Word by His indwelling Spirit within you. You do not have to know His plans for you for the rest of your life. You simply have to be obedient and walk with and serve Him today. May that be where you are at, and what you are committed to today.

On the other hand, maybe you have not personally, truly and completely, trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Perhaps you have been relying on other methods to try to atone for your sin. Perhaps you have been relying on what someone else did, what your dad or mom or grandpa or grandma did, or certain good works that you have done such as being baptized or taking communion. Perhaps you are relying on a comparison with the holiness and righteousness of other people.

On the authority of God’s Word and His law be warned that none of that will work. God does not judge us by what other people do. God judges us by His law—which we have all broken. Because of that we are all under the judgment of God. Our sin deserves death. Blood is required. That is why all those animals died. That is why Jesus died. Your works and effort will never be enough. They cannot atone for your sin against a holy God. Only death can. With all urgency then, turn to the one and only way of redemption. Trust in the death of Jesus alone to atone for your sin and to make you righteous. The blood of bulls and goats was insufficient to eternally take care of and remove it all. They could only point forward to Christ’s perfect sacrifice and provide a covering. The conscience and soul need a better, more complete atonement. Will you trust in Jesus today?

Taking communion is a reminder of what Jesus did. Eating these reminders cannot save you. If you have never truly trusted in Jesus for your salvation from sin, my prayer is that in our talking about it today and in our taking communion that you will now see more clearly than you ever have before what Jesus has done for you personally through His death and that you will personally trust in Him.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, KJV)

God’s love is more amazing and more undeserved than we can fully comprehend. But it is indeed real. The proof is in Jesus’ death on the cross for the world. Will you trust in Him and receive it? You can trust Him right where you are. There is no magical formula or prayer. God knows when we stop relying on our sin and rely on Him alone. Trust Him.

Before we take communion we will now have a moment of quiet while we think on these things. It is a time for each of us to pray quietly to God in our hearts to deal with any issues in our life and to thank Him for His amazing love in Jesus. Then we will pray and partake of the elements together as we corporately remember and give God thanks.¹

© 2021, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

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