Intro story-Nick
At that moment, Nick was very thankful
Leviticus 7:11-12
This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the Lord: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil.
Its thanksgiving people
Are you thankful?
Most of us in this room have celebrated thanksgiving all of our life
It has become so routine that we can lose sight of why we celebrate it
Our forefathers used this feast to offer thanks to God for the harvest in the new world
Do you know it used to be a three day feast?
Although we celebrate thanksgiving because it is a tradition
Gods people have been offering thanks to God since the beginning
We find in the law of Moses the proper form for giving God thanks in a special offering
In Leviticus 7:11-34
It is known as the original thank offering, or the peace offering
This offering was used for 1 of 3 reasons
When making a vow
As a freewill offering
Or as a thank offering
There was a special requirement if the offering was given as a thank offering
It set it apart from the other offerings
That is the offering had to be eaten the same day
Which also made this offering a day of feasting
There are 3 aspects in this thank offering that help us understand the attitude of bringing thanks to God
The first part was offered directly to God
The second was given to Gods priests whom He chose to be His representatives
The third part was given back to offer a covenantal thanksgiving feast
The Lords portion was from the fat of the animal
It was to be completely set apart for Him
And completely burned on the altar
If it wasn’t done like this the failure resulted in a severe punishment
Which was being cut off from Gods people
Devoting the fat portions to the Lord symbolizes that the excess the Lord gives us belongs to Him
This part of the thank offering teaches us that our thanks should be directed to God alone
The second part of the offering was to be given to the priests
They are the Lords representatives
It was to be waved before the Lord
Showing that it was given to Him through the priest
The priest was given the choice portions of meat
The best cuts of the meat, the breasts or the right thigh
This shows the Lord providing for His priests that were unable to tend their own flocks
They were to get the best, not the leftovers
The third part went back to the person who offered it
It was to be a feast for himself, family, and friends
There was a special rule for this, all the meat had to be eaten that day
None of it was to be kept
It promoted generosity and hospitality as they rejoiced with friends and family
The meaning of the feast was the offering would nourish and strengthen the body
As well as the person offering it was being strengthened in his soul by living a holy life before the Lord
Leviticus 7:11-12
This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the Lord: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil.
Since we don’t live under the old covenant, how does this apply to us today?
The answer is really simple actually
Never lose sight of the Lords provision in your life
Well it sounds simple anyway
I don’t know if you know this but in the USA we can get anything in an instant
Doesn’t matter what it is
Information, just type in google
If its food you want to quickly sustain you
Just go to fast food
And if you want to be even more lazy you can have it delivered straight to your house
Just by the push of a couple buttons
You don’t even have to go to the store anymore
People deliver your groceries
Not that every time someone orders something is laziness
Sometimes we get busy
But often it’s out of convenience
I’m not saying we don’t work for things
But our society makes it very easy to forget where your blessings are truly coming from
As Christians we must always remember that what we have comes from the Lord
Your jobs, money, food, family
They are all from Him
While working on this sermon for the last few weeks I’ve tried to keep this top of mind
Even down to the smallest detail
I want to constantly give thanks to God in every area no matter how insignificant it may seem
1 Thessalonians 5:18
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
We must give thanks to God
Scripture commands it
Story-new barber
Not only was it a blessing from God
I was able to share the gospel
I was thankful to God for this man He placed in front of me
I didn’t complain that I had to go to get my haircut again
I was thankful
Don’t worry about minuet details or complain about things in your life
Continue to look for areas to be thankful for
As a Christian, even if you lost your job, your house, or even family
You could lose everything God has ever given you
But you can still be thankful that you aren’t going to hell
Now if you are in this room and haven’t made Jesus the Lord of your life
Then this should concern you
But I have good news you can accept Him today right where you are sitting
Make Him the Lord of your life, repent and follow Him
Christ is the mediator between us and God
Because really what this peace offering did, was foreshadow Christ
The peace offering appeased Gods anger to a sinful people
But Christ fulfilled that by being the sacrifice for us
That is why we no longer have to follow old covenant sacrifice
Jesus brought peace between a Holy God
And man, if they accept Christ as Lord
We must be thankful to God in all circumstances
If you have a hard time thinking of things I will give you some areas
Your job, family, and friends
You should even be thankful for the pastors God has placed in your life
God sets a high standard for how we are to respond for those He appoints over us
We see this in the original thank offering
Leviticus 7:34
For the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever.’ ”
The people were to give the priests the best portions of the offering
Under the old covenant the priests had a high call on their life
Gods people couldn’t even be in His presence directly
Only the priests were able
During the law of Moses, once a year the high priest must bring the blood sacrifice
Into the holy of holies to atone for the sins of people of Israel
On the day of atonement the priest was to bathe and put on special garments
Then sacrifice a bull for a sin offering for him and his family
The blood of the bull was to be sprinkled on the ark of the covenant inside the Holy of Holies
Then the priest burned 2 handfuls of fragrant incense
Followed by bringing 2 goats
One to be sacrificed for the rebellion and sin of Israel with the blood sprinkled on the ark of the covenant
The other would be set free after the priest laid hands on its head and confessed the wickedness and rebellion of the people
If the priest didn’t do things exactly like God commanded
It would result in the death of the priest immediately upon entry
It is said that the priest would have a rope tied to his foot just incase He dropped dead
The people could pull him out, since no one could enter
Look at this standard God placed
Now since we have Christ we no longer have to do this
Hebrews 4:14-16
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Even though we can go to God now because of Jesus
It does not mean that we shouldn’t thankfully honor our pastors
1 timothy 5:17-18
Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
Whether it is old or new testament God places a high value for those who shepherd His flock
God gave the priests the best portion
Because being a priest came with a high cost
Just like being a pastor over a congregation
It comes with a cost
Everybody at some point needs the attention of the pastor
It is a huge sacrifice
Just like the priest that needed provision because they couldn’t tend their own flock
Pastors still need provision today
Its not an easy job or lifestyle
Imagine having a church of lets maybe 400-500 people
Tending to all the needs of the people
Spiritually, mentally, financially even
Spending their days pouring into the people
Sometimes barely having enough time to tend to their own matters
But they do it without complaint and grumbling
Story-pastor crystal/groceries
She used their own finances
And she gave us their best
They didn’t buy us cheap stuff
It was as if they were shopping for their own family
We were in awe
That our pastors thought of us this way
Giving us their best
My question, are you giving them your best? Or your leftovers?
And I don’t just mean financially
Are you causing problems for them
Strife or division
Are you complaining and groaning about the people God has placed over you
If you are doing any of these repent
Let their time with you be a time of joy
Not a feeling of, maybe these people will just leave
Hebrews 13:17
Obey those who [a]rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you
It will be unprofitable for you, not them
Be a joy for them
Be thankful that God has placed them in your life to watch over you
They sure are thankful for you
Take them out for a meal Pastor Matt likes food
God like us to eat together
We see that in the thank offering
Even though it was thanks to God, He still thought of our provision by giving a feast back to His people
Leviticus 7:15
The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.
All throughout the bible we see different feast
These feasts resemble what the kingdom of heaven is like
Look at the story of the prodigal son
When the son repented and came home the father prepared a feast
We see in revelation the marriage supper of the lamb
There is just something about eating together that creates an atmosphere of thanks
As we are going into thanksgiving remind yourself of Gods provisions in your life
The people you spend the day with
Your family and friends
Continuously be thankful
Let this next day be a reminder of Gods goodness in your life
And remember no matter how bad you think you might have it
Be thankful you’re not going to hell
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