It's an inescapable mandate of God. It's unfortunate that some Christian groups and some Christians have tried to work around having a pastor. No question, Satan targets the pastors. They're a choice target. You know, a congregant can commit a sin and it's dealt with, and pretty much that might be it.
But if a pastor does certain sins, oh man, it'd be devastating to the testimony of a church and to the people in the church. And so, yes, Satan targets the pastors, but because some pastors fail, there's no reason to try to get around. This mandate. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.
Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Leviticus. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Leviticus chapter 2 with today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio.
So if you have your Bibles, we'll turn to Leviticus chapter 2. Personal gratitude and fellowship. These are the two sacrifices that the Jews are commanded to. Um bring before the Lord as their heart. stirs them.
The laws of sacrifice were given to the priesthood in here in Leviticus. Five major offerings. From the worshippers' perspective, in chapters one through chapter six, verse seven, there you have. The offering from the worshippers' perspective, but by the time you get to verse 8, of Leviticus chapter six through into chapter seven. You have the instructions.
From the priest's perspective, on the same offerings, and if you're aware of that, it cuts down on the confusion.
So that latter section Leviticus six. Verse eight through seven thirty eight God is sort of clarifying. The priests Portions of some of these sacrifices, these offerings.
Now it's not uncommon For a people to approach God. with distorted views of God is everywhere and don't have to Work hard to make that point. They mix man-made Views into their religion. You know, from that perspective. It's very easy to identify what's going on.
Everything the Jews picked up as a people when. In Syria, the Abraham And then into Canaan Abraham and of course is his children. and then into Egypt, Everything they picked up about God. Had to be replaced, not reformed. It had to be pushed out.
And something better put in its place, and these sacrificial offerings are part of that process. Not only did they have moral commandments, but they had commandments on how they should approach God. And Solomon said, Hey, think twice before you go to the house of the Lord. Don't just go walting in there thinking you can behave any kind of way you want. And from the New Testament perspective, of course, it's with the very thing Paul was grappling with with the Corinthians.
hopefully to sober up. the worshiper, which I am one of and you too.
Well, the first one is the food offering this evening, the Thanksgiving. offering known as the grain offering. It was voluntary, but But this one signified, of course. Gratitude In worship? But a little bit more.
This offering, the grain offering. was the only one of the five, the first five that we get that Has no animal sacrifice, there's no blood in this offering. And it is a God-instituted offering related to labor. to human work. The sweat of the brow.
It looks back at Cain and it says. You should have trusted me. and looks forward to any advocates of Cain to rebuke them. The grain offerings presented another side Of God's great truth. of personal dedication.
it invited the work of human hands. To come before the throne of God. Not to earn salvation. That certainly would be even, that shouldn't even be brought up, but I just did because somebody might. Be a little confused.
It has nothing to do with salvation. It has something to do with personal. Gratitude To God, Thanking God for the ability. To work. to be a blessing because God has blessed their lives.
And so they present this other great truth of personal devotion. And I like it. I mean, you can't get away from it, and I'll hit a few bullet points on that before we dig into the verses. But uh it also sort of um Gave a nod. to a righteous civilization.
And the work that goes into A civilization. Remember, when these laws were given, the Jews did not have farm fields yet. They're not in the promised land. They could still make flour out of the manor, but I'm getting ahead of myself, and And I just want to throw that out there to make sure you understand. Where this is going.
Well, the burn offering that we covered last session That substitution for sinners was a whole burnt offering. Everything was put on the altar, was consumed. None of it was to be eaten. The skin was to be. Uh given to the priests, this uh grain offering Um teaching acceptable participation with God.
That work that we do. And God doesn't frown at that. He's the one that is blessing it.
So the three variations prescribed in this offering, the options and the recipes given. To the believers to say: if you want to go to the house of God and offer up a food offering to God. a thanksgiving offering to him.
Well, you can bring uncooked flour. That's one of your options. We'll get into what that was involved. He said, now, if you want to bake your offering and bring it to me, you have three options there. You can bake it in an oven?
You can use a frying pan or griddle. Or you can use a put it in a frying pan and cover it with a lid, and I'll take any one of those three. And finally, maybe you want to bring your offering. At harvest season, whether it's the wheat or the barley season, and you want to bring. One of these grain offerings to me.
Okay, you can do that, but I want you to first roast. The grain Of your first fruits. Before you bring it to me. Deuteronomy 8. Moses Sort of Finishing up business with the people as their leader on earth.
He goes back over the law. He covers a lot of things. There's some new things, too. He says about, he said, God humbled you. allowed you to hunger.
and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know. That he might make you know that the man shall not live by bread alone, but by. The Word of God lives. By every word that proceeds from the mouth. of Yahweh.
And that's what we're looking at here. We're looking at the offerer coming and saying, Yeah, Lord, you've given me the food, but I'm worshiping you, the giver of life.
So, as a burnt offering dedicated to life to God, the meal offering. dedicated the labours of our hands in gratitude To God. that everything we put our hands to would fall under the work of God in our lives To His glory.
Well, where does that show up in the New Testament? Because that's important. First Corinthians ten Therefore Whether you eat or drink. or whatever you do. Do all to the glory of God.
Well, that's what this is. As we said, these offerings are parables. And so let's dig into it. Verse 1, Leviticus 2. When anyone offers a grain offering to Yahweh, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it.
and put frankincense on it.
Now There, when anyone, that Hebrew word is uh It means anyone. It's not gender specific, though the some of the pronouns here are masculine, but it they're they're not in there in the Hebrew. The translators put them in to keep it flowing. And we're happy they do. His offering shall be of fine flour.
Again, he, that pronoun, not in the Hebrew.
Now, fine flour parallels. the unblemished animal of the burnt offering.
Well beaten flour. called for an investment of Preparation, some time. Couldn't just grab the grain off, you know, just bring a stalk in. There's a sheave offering, too, but this isn't that. You've got to beat that kernel down into fine powder.
Now again, in the wilderness they had manna. They did not have farm fields yet.
So they could beat the manna into fine flour and they could present that. At the Tabernacle, which they had. Of course, once they entered the promised land, then they could offer a first fruits offering, but they couldn't do that while they were wandering.
So God is preparing them. for the next phase.
Now the oil in the frankincense in the Jewish mind would belong to the anointing oil of the priests. a patented recipe for that. They could not duplicate. The anointing oils recipe, and just use it, you know. Hey, I really like the way this smells.
But they still understood. The significance of the oil And the frankincense, and thus you have the symbol of the Spirit of God. The New Testament, we know it as. Him as the Holy Spirit, and you can cross-reference Exodus twenty-five, six. 29 seven.
3034 hike.
Sounds like I'm calling out quarterback numbers. Anyway, verse two. He shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it. his handful of fine flour and oil with the frankincense, and the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to Yahweh.
Well, it is critical or imperative that When we think of the Old Testament and New Testament priesthood, That we understand there is absolutely no connection to Roman Catholicism's priesthood. There's no connection, any more than there's a connection to the priest of Baal. Uh That priesthood. Is in opposition to the Old and New Testament. Just the fact that they pray to the saints.
Now how sh you don't talk to the dead. You just don't do it. And that's a commandment of God. Uphold in the New Testament. And so, just to make that clear, as we go through these.
Old Testament studies, and we're talking about the priesthood, especially if you have a Roman Catholic background, there's no connection.
Well, God's people, however, have to have clergy, they have to have spiritual leaders. Spiritual shepherds. It's an inescapable mandate of God. It's unfortunate that some Christian groups and some Christians have tried to work around having a pastor. No question, Satan targets the pastors.
They're a choice target. You know, a congregant can commit a sin and it's dealt with, and pretty much that might be it. But if a pastor does certain sins, oh man, it'd be devastating to the testimony of a church and to the people in the church. And so, yeah, Satan targets the pastors, but because some pastors fail, there's no reason to try to get around this mandate. where he mentions here in verse two as a memorial Well, there's your statement of gratitude, of thanksgiving.
The words Thank and think in the Anglo-Saxon The language share the same root. They are connected. To refuse to think is to refuse to be grateful. Thought and entitlement Breed ingrates. But people who think about it You know, man, I don't deserve that.
I'm very grateful for it. They're easier people to be around. Not too a few weeks ago, I was at an event and I held a door open for someone, and they just waltzed on through with a smug look. I wanted to trip them so badly. Just for a flash of a second, it was like, and then I got over it.
When I got home. You know, because you notice, you know, you just say, man, my thought was: I'm glad this person is not my neighbor. Who wants a neighbor like that? Anyway, back to verse 3. The rest of the grain offerings shall be Aaron's and his sons.
It is most holy. Of the offerings. to Yahweh made by fire.
Well, this meant that this offering could only be eaten by the priest. We'll get that in chapter 7, as I mentioned in the beginning. We get to chapter 6, verse 8 through 738, and we get clarification on what's happening with these offerings. But the priests benefited from someone else's personal act of gratitude toward God. How meaningful is that?
To us, If I do, you know, if I show my gratitude to God, there's a possibility I'm going to bless others also. Luke 10, verse 7, Jesus said, The laborer is worthy of his wages, and Paul rings in on that. Applying it to the pastors there in the church. Verse four. And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
If your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened mixed with oil. Verse 6. You shall break It in pieces and pour oil on it. It is a grain offering. Verse 7.
If your offering is a grain offering baked in a covered pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
So there you have some options. And uh But hard work is involved in all of these. And again, as with the animal sacrifices, they would be making these meals for themselves. Also Leven mentioned here, of course, represents corruption. The influence of evil, and it metaphorically carries into both testaments, the old and the new.
it is prohibited from all of the offerings by fire. Which this is one. Because again, there were other offerings, wave offerings, heave offerings, you know, that you could bring in leaven. But the idea is God does not want offerings. From a leavened heart With these major sacrifices, It comes this way to us in the New Testament.
2 Corinthians 9.
So let each one of you give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly. There's your 11. or of necessity more leaven. For God loves a cheerful giver. He wants an unleavened donation.
You know, when somebody said, Well, I'm going to help the church out, that's not the kind of person that helps the church out. The one that just, I'm worshiping the Lord, of course, is going to be a help. Let's understand, we need each other. But it's the heart. That counts.
And so, yeah, doing something for the Lord with a wrong motive. You may be offering something with leaven where it does not belong, cried. Christ aggressively called out The rabbinical leaven in the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the scribes, he went right at them: beware of the leaven. Of the Pharisees and scribes on more than one occasion. That is recorded for us in the Gospels.
Later, we get to chapter 7 again. There will be a heave offering, and it will include leaven, but that's not put on the altar. And actually, there's an offering that had honey.
Well, juices and honey would have been part of that. That also, but again. also not presented on the altar by fire, So these Called for hard work. What is hard work? righteously speaking.
It's a virtue. Laziness is not a virtue. We all have to guard against that. Oven baked cakes in verse 4. Peg baked griddle, verse five.
and pan baked in a covered pan. Verse seven. As I was preparing, I got hungry. doing this with it, put the oil on it and bake it. I'm thinking, man.
Uh anyway, these options, you know, they fit a person of choice. God's saying, I know you worked hard. Choose how you want to bring this offering to me. And maybe the culinary skills excel in one area. Maybe I'm really good at making something in an oven versus on the griddle, whatever.
It's a very comfortable Offering to give to the people. Verse 8: You shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord. And when it is presented to a priest, he shall bring it to the altar. Then the priest shall take from the grain offering a memorial portion and burn it on the altar. It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.
Verse 10 And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron's and his sons? It is most Holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire. It's in a category of holiness, just like the other four will be also.
So he's giving them rules. The very thing a lot of Christians don't want.
Now, let's go back to Roman Catholics a minute. The Roman Catholics that I have been privileged to Pastor who've come out of Roman Catholicism. have been blessings. There's there's just a lot of baggage. They don't seem to have.
That many other Christians do. Not all, certainly not all, but a lot of Christians just, you know, kind of free bouncing around and. They're not You know Against rules and regulations. They understand that. And been very supportive over the years.
And we've seen a good amount. Of Roman Catholics. And come and they love the Word of God. I was speaking about this with a pastor the other, another pastor, and he was saying, Yeah, you know, they just love the Word of God. They just want the Word of God.
They're not hung up with. The tiny things as a rule. Maybe some others have different experiences, but for me and that other pastor that I was speaking to, we shared. that they didn't have a problem with rules and these are rules. that the people are getting.
You bring flour to the Lord. It better be fine flour. You better have worked on it. When you bake these things, you bake them in your home, you make the mess and clean up in your home, and then you bring the finished product to the priest. Don't be coming there with powder all, you know, just flour all on your face and hands.
I like these kind of things in God's Word.
So again Not all the sacrifices. were a sweet aroma to the Lord. The trespass offering will not Will not find that phrase attached to that offering, which is the deliberate sin. But devotion, gratitude, peace. Sweet to the Lord Made by fire, purifying energy.
There's no The hint of judgment in the use of fire in this offering. It's a purification, as I mentioned, what the things they picked up and. Syria and Canaan and Egypt had to be burned out, purged. And God is filling the void, because we know what happens. When there is a void created spiritually, Satan will look to fill it.
It's the whole thing of the parable Jesus said about casting out the demon and then he looking for a place to dwell. He couldn't find one, so he doubles back. finds the place clean and swept. and brings seven more of his demon friends with him And then the person was woke.
So Yeah, that is you're dealing with demonic activity.
So you should know that, so you'll know how to pray. You know, you get people that always want to tell you, pray for this and pray for that.
Well, I prefer to be led.
Sometimes you need a little information.
Well, this is one of them. When you're dealing with certain behaviors, it's demonic activity. And I know the people that I am praying for that are. being drawn into this Dark world, I pray God would cast the demons out of them. If I'm wrong, well, then, Lord, get the one that has the demons, and he'll sort it all out.
I will pray with understanding.
Well, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, I will praise with understanding.
Well, verse 11: No grain offering which you bring to Yahweh shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering. to Yahweh made by fire.
Well, again, the yeasted food is what's happening. Honey is a natural sweetness. And there's nothing naturally sweet about us before the Lord. And so that one's not allowed to be put on the the altar. But as I mentioned, the first fruits make some exceptions, but not on the altar.
You know what we keep out. of our faith matters. For example, Romanism has failed to do They have failed to keep out of their religion, the things that God has forbidden.
Well, God is saying, I want you to keep leaven out of this offering. And if you fail to do that, what does that make you? It makes you disobedient. It makes you Think that uh you know better than God, as did Cain. Which, as I mentioned earlier, this offering is sort of the offering Cain was dreaming of.
But he did not behave himself. And in time it found its way into the law of God. Verse 12 As for the offering of the first fruits, you shall offer them to Yahweh, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma.
Well, again, the Barley and the wheat harvest. The first of every living thing, human, animal, plant. plant. Belong to Yahweh. And these were dedicated back to him.
And we'll get that when we get to Deuteronomy 18 is one spot that we have it. But God wants control over his people. That's the ideal.
Now, just ask yourself. Do you want God to have more control in your life? I don't want government to have more control in my life unless it's God's government. In fact, the name Israel, governed by God. We have songs of more power, more love, more of you in my life.
Lord, and take as much control of me as you want. But Thanks for tuning in to today's edition of Cross Reference Radio. Pastor Rick Gaston is currently going through the book of Leviticus. We're glad you joined us. We trust that you're gaining some valuable insights into God's Word as we go through this Old Testament book.
Cross-Reference Radio comes to you from Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia. If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast, you can do so by going to your favorite app store and downloading from there. For any additional information about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website, crossreference radio.com. Make sure to come back again for the upcoming edition in the book of Leviticus, as Pastor Rick has much more to share. We thank you for being with us right here on Cross Reference Radio.
Yeah.
