The Thank Offering [Part 1]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. For all of these offerings, even the ancient Jewish rabbis said, when the Messiah comes, all of them are annulled except for one.

And that is the offering of thanksgiving. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in our series called Moses, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It'll be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

So as you listen to today's message, we encourage you to go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. Are you ready for some good news? I take it from the Jewish Midrash, the rabbinical writings that are alongside of the ancient Scriptures, to give you the good news.

All korbanos are annulled with the coming of Mosheach, except for the korban toda. Okay, that's what I'll explain today. But I promise you that by the end of today, you will understand why that is some of the most extraordinary news you could ever, ever hear. We are in one of the least read books of the Bible today as we finish a long walk with Moses. And it is with some real sadness to leave behind the preaching of the life of Moses as he prefigures the ultimate Moses, the true Moses, Jesus Christ. And so today we want to turn to some of the Levitical law because a big part of who Moses was and what his life was about was he was the one who had not only mediated the covenant, had been the deliverer of the people, but he was known as the great lawgiver because he was the one who met with God and received the instructions from the Lord on how the people should live. And so it is that we're going to turn to some of the meticulous law in Leviticus that we tend to not read because it gets so tedious and we wonder what are all these laws about and what do they have to do with us since we're no longer under the law. And today I'm going to show you one that's absolutely fascinating. And I begin this message by not only giving tribute to my mom on Mother's Day and to all the mothers, but also to say to Mickey Thigpen, our executive director, who has been talking to me about this text for five years wishing I would preach it.

And much of the insight is spawned from conversation with Mickey. Leviticus chapter seven, verse 11. And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings where Leviticus chapter seven, verse 11. And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord. If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering as a gift to the Lord.

It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall not be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave, it shall be eaten, sorry, shall be eaten on the day of his offering.

He shall not leave any of it until the morning. And then I wanna read to you a text in Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, which again, if you're new to your Bible can seem very complicated, but Hebrews is giving the New Covenant picture of the fulfillment of old Levitical law that has all come to pass in Christ. And in Hebrews chapter 13, verse nine, do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. And he's making reference here to Levitical laws about foods and offerings. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent, speaking of the priest and the old tabernacle, have no right to eat because the priests would often be the beneficiaries of the sacrificed animals or grain offerings that would come to the tabernacle. And now, instead, verse 11, for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured, for here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

What is all that about? It is essentially saying this. Throughout the book of Hebrews, we're seeing that Jesus came as a fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system and that he was the ultimate sacrifice. He was the Passover lamb, and he is the offering that is prefigured in all of the offerings of Leviticus 1 through 7.

And now, we are no longer nourished by the foods that are offered. The tabernacle, we are no longer atoned for by the blood of those animals, but instead, it has all taken place in Jesus, and he is our sacrifice, and he is our offering. But then, the writer of Hebrews then does something very interesting. He says, but let us continually offer the sacrifice or offering of praise or of thanksgiving to God. There were in Israel, if you were to go and study Leviticus chapters 1 through 7, what you'd find out is that there are five primary types of offerings that are mandated in the Mosaic law. And I'm gonna try not to get this, they are somewhat tedious to learn and study because there are many, many types of offerings in different animals that are presented at different times, and what you need to know is that there were five basic types of these offerings. The burnt offering, which was where the worshiper would come and bring an animal. It could be a variety of kinds of animals that are depicted in Leviticus, and that offering would be burned at the altar and completely burned, so it was a picture of substitutionary death. No priest or anybody would eat any part of it, okay? So, if you had a very valuable animal, and that animal is completely consumed on the altar, nobody eats the filet mignon, nobody has got any leg of lamb, it's all just a substitute burnt offering, okay?

So it's a real sacrifice, real sacrifice. Then there were grain offerings in which there were no meat that was offered, nothing, animals were sacrificed, but in these various grain offerings, this was always in common, as we'll see a little bit more about, they were unleavened, bring loaves and things that had no yeast in it, and a portion of it would be put on the fire, and a portion would be eaten by the priest or the priest's family. So these grain offerings were one of the primary ways that the priests were fed. And always with this, again, there was no leaven that would be in any of the breads that were offered, but there would be a little salt, okay? Leaven is something that happens through a process of decay. Salt is what the ancient world understood preserves things.

It would have a pinch of salt, but absolutely no leaven in it. The third main category of offerings are called peace offerings. And within the peace offerings, there were freewill offerings, vow offerings, and the Thanksgiving offering. That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Ever feel like something's holding you back, as if you lack an important key that could change everything?

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive, faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright.

The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release. Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales, but this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the Power to Bless. The Gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. We are in our final days of offering this special product. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues.

Here once again is Alan Wright. The thanksgiving offering, the word for offering in Hebrew, the most often used is korban. And so the korban, the offering of thanksgiving, was known as the korban todah. The thanksgiving offering, that's our subject today. And the fourth kind of category, sin offerings, where when you had sinned, you would bring a sacrifice, and it would be deemed as payment for your sin. And fifthly, the trespass offering, like the sin offering, was deemed to be payment for sin, but this was specifically in the case where there had been monetary fraud, and there were specific requirements for the one making the trespass offering, where you would pay back what you were offering, where you would pay back what had been stolen, plus one fifth would go to the priest, and one fifth would go to the person that had been offended. Five different categories of offerings, and these offerings were taking place throughout the year.

There were, in addition to this, seven festivals throughout the year in Israel, three in the spring, 50 days later to the Pentecost, or Feast of Weeks, and then in the fall, three other festivals all clumped together with the Day of Atonement in the center of that. And so I'm just trying to give you a picture that in the life of Israel, the entire religious and cultural life of Israel revolved around all of these offerings and sacrifices. You could think of an offering as kind of the general heading and a sacrifice of an animal, a subheading of that. So when I say offering, I may be referring to grain or to an animal. When you say a sacrifice, normally you were talking about a live animal that was then sacrificed.

And all of this was absolutely integral in the life of Israel. When the people of God sinned, God had given them a way to know that at least for the time being, like a minimum payment on a credit card debt, that they were going to be covered. It didn't pay off their debt. It didn't remove their guilt. It just made them temporarily acceptable to God.

And so it was a wonderful thing if you're plagued with all of this guilt from all of your sin to have some very specific instructions from the Lord, here's what you do in order to have this temporarily covered or atoned for, all right? So a lot of these, like the sin offering, the trespass offering, they were mandatory offerings. It was mandatory, for example, you would bring a lamb at Passover and all of that. But there were some that were purely voluntary. And the ones that were voluntary, you especially would see the most often would be these peace offerings, the third category I mentioned. And again, in the peace offerings, there are several different kinds, but one of them and the most prevalent of them was the korban toda, the offering of thanksgiving. And this was voluntary.

You could offer this at any time. Only one instance was it mandatory that you make an offering of thanksgiving. And that was if you had been spared from a near death situation. If your life had been in jeopardy and you had been spared, then you had to make an offering. And so I began today by quoting from the ancient Jewish midrash, the writings that come alongside of the ancient scriptures to interpret them and are seen as tradition but of binding significance. And the midrash, the ancient Jewish scholars said, and now I'll translate it to make more sense, that all offerings are annulled with the coming of the Christ except for the offering of thanksgiving. Of all of the offerings that pervaded the life of Israel throughout its entire year and all of its seasons with all of the rams and oxen and bulls and turtledoves and all the grave offerings and sheafs of grain that are waved before the Lord.

But for all of these offerings, even the ancient Jewish rabbi said when the Messiah comes, all of them are annulled except for one and that is the offering of thanksgiving. I want to talk to you about the offering of thanksgiving, the only sacrifice that still remains. People are always asking me, well, as a preacher of grace, you always talk about what Jesus paid it all, Jesus did it all, Jesus covered all my sin, Jesus has made God propitious towards me and I've received his unmerited favor, then what is there left for me to do? I'm going to tell you what you need to do, praise him. Thank him.

It's the only thing that remains to do. You see, gratitude, and this is what we're going to see in the picture of this thank offering. Gratitude is only possible when you are aware that something has been done for you. The more that you are aware of what has been done for you, the more grateful you are. People who are ungrateful are unaware, are blind to all that has been done for them, blind to the gifts that have been given. So if you don't see your life as a gift from God, then you're missing out on this principle of gratitude in daily living. It's why the Christian is exhorted to wake up in the morning and say, this is the day the Lord has made and I'll rejoice in it. Because I was not guaranteed or entitled this day, this day was a gift to me.

Oh, I tell you, the most of the things that God has done for you, you don't even know. Years ago, I had a little boy, Bennett was little. It was coming up on Mother's Day and I started thinking all about how much my mom had done for me and I didn't know it.

And I wrote her a long letter. Dear Mom, I wish I could remember what it was like for you when I was waiting to be born. It was cozy for me during those nine months. Just floated and relaxed. What was it like for you? I hope you weren't prone to morning sickness, were you? And did you get tired often? I watched my wife during her first trimester.

She salivates at the mere sight of a couch. You had two little boys in one small house. Let's see, while I was on the way, Mark was one, David was two. How did you find time to be tired with two toddlers? I wish I could remember so I could say thank you. What was your labor like?

Did you have to work until exhaustion set in or did you have to put up with the side effects of anesthesia? I wish I could remember so I could say thank you for bringing me into the world. How did you make room for me in the little house on Pershing Court? Did you just let me sleep in your room? Did I cry much at night? How much sleep did you get that first year of my life?

Dad was doing the late weather then, wasn't he? Did you wait up for him to get home even though you had toddlers waking up early the next morning and me crying in the night? I wish I could remember so I could say thank you. If I hadn't come along, the Pershing Court house would probably have been big enough, wouldn't it? That first year of my life, you built a new house on Pine Top Road. You made it big enough for me to have my own room.

I bet it was a stretch financially. I wonder what you went without in order to make space for me. I wish I could remember so I could say thank you. How did you keep an ear out for me when I took naps?

You didn't have baby monitors in those days. I guess you had to stay close by. I wish I could remember so I could say thank you. I just kept going through my whole life thinking about it, all the trips to the pediatrician, Dr. Bimbo, with all those earaches that I had, the time that I drank the dog's water and got dysentery, the time that I fell back in the chair after she said, don't lean back in your chair, and I cut my chin and had to go get stitches. I was thanking her for all of those times, and I finally got up to my teenage years and I said, what made you keep wanting to be around me when I acted like I didn't want to be around you? And, Mom, what did you do at home all those nights that I was over at my girlfriend's house looking for a family in her family, and when I was in college and didn't write or call very much, how did you keep writing and calling me? I wish I could remember so I could say thank you. Mom, though my memory may fail, my love for you never will.

Thank you. You see how if you would just take five minutes and think about any category of your life and begin to meditate on what has been done for you, you can't help but be thankful. And what I'm saying is that God has given you your life. He has woven you together in your mother's womb. There's no life apart from God. Where did all this come from? It came from God. I'm saying every breath is a gift. Every day is a gift.

We won't know. Maybe we'll get to know when we go to heaven everything God's done for us so that then we'll have eternity to give Him praise. Allen Wright and today's teaching on the Think offering. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Allen Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Allen Wright's daily blessing.

It's free and just a click away at pastorallen.org. Ever feel like something's holding you back, as if you lack an important key that could change everything? Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release. Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales, but this month Allen Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Now we are in our final days of offering this special product. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAllen.org. Allen, probably about midway through this series, we had a teaching on Moses' Ten Steps to Freedom, and now we're coming, is this what you would call maybe the punchline to the Moses series? Well, it really, really is in many ways, Daniel, because, and it's a deep message, because we really need to learn something about all the various offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, trespass offerings, that were part of the sacrificial system in ancient Israel. But as we've been looking at, this strange thing in the Jewish writings that said all of these offerings would be annulled with the coming of the Messiah, except for the thank offering.

Right. And how prophetic that actually is, that the one thing that remains is the sacrifice of praise. The one thing that remains for us is our gratitude.

We don't come to church and bring any offerings of sacrifice and burnt offerings. There's no more payment for sin. There's no more need for any of these other offerings that were part of the sacrificial system. The one thing that remains is gratitude. And gratitude, there's no better way to come to an end of this series than the place of gratitude in our lives is so huge that it really shapes all of life. We are a gospel people who do not bring our own sacrifices, but we are celebrating and praising God for His sacrifice, and therefore the motivation of our life is not mere duty, and it is certainly not an effort to earn God's love. It is this overflowing well of gratitude in our lives. That's what it's all about. Today's good news message is a listener-supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.