Beloved, as we come to this next passage, next part of our sermon, I want us to consider the matter of celebrating, celebrating, that peace which is pleasing to God, celebrating that peace which is pleasing to God. We considered the fact that we celebrated peace with God through the shed blood of the substitutionary sacrifice, and under that heading we considered the people of God enjoy peace with Him, the people of God celebrate peace with Him, and then we also looked at the celebration of peace with God that is marked characterized by surrender to God. Now, finally we come to the celebration of peace that is pleasing to God. How do we celebrate that peace? And this offering is a wonderful picture of that celebrating of the peace that is pleasing to God. So let's consider verses 5 and then verses 11 and 16. Verse 5 says, And Aaron's son shall burn it on the altar, upon the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood that is on the fire, as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. And then verse 11, And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the Lord. And then verse 16, And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, for a sweet aroma, all that is the Lord's. So one of the things I said to you in my first message was this is the first offering that includes a communal meal. And under this heading I want us to consider the celebration of peace is a communal meal. Leviticus 3 designates the peace offering as food. And that's the reason why even just looking at chapter 3 we know that it's not just an offering. It includes this meal. It wouldn't have designated it food if it wasn't meant for eating. And so the emphasis is on fellowship. It's on fellowship. It's on eating the meal. And the phrase could be translated food gift. But the distinctive of the peace offering is made clear in the Hebrew. It is a gift, but clearly one of food. So it is an offering to God, but it is an offering of food. And Leviticus 7 emphasizes, as we think of these two chapters together, that the worshipper and the congregation ate part of the sacrifice. Now, think about the table we're about to enjoy. And think about our brethren in the Old Covenant. It's important for us to understand whenever there's a table and there's food on the table that what's inextricably bound to this is the fact that there is a celebration of being at peace with God. This offering was a communal meal. It was eaten in the presence of God and it could only be eaten in the presence of God if there was peace with God. And so, the table, the communal aspect of this meal, as it were, is one of the greatest expressions of our peace with God, of our communion with God, of our fellowship with God. And also, I think what's important about this offering is the fact that this communal meal was received from the sacrifice is really, really striking. It's just like they brought their own food. The meal was actually received from the offering. Why is that important? In almost all the other sacrifices, it was the offering given to God. But in this offering, what's so unique about it is, It's as though God himself was returning a portion of the sacrifice for the faithful to eat in his presence. So we've given this offering to God and God is returning it for us to eat in his presence. Do you understand what that means, beloved? Do you understand what that communicates? Do you understand the condescension of God in doing this? That here What we have indicated is the Lord's gracious bounty to his people and the peaceful relationship which existed between them in this covenant. This was the desire of the Lord in forming a relationship with and in redeeming his people. This is such a beautiful picture of the real intentions of the living God towards his people. Andrew Bono in his great commentary says this, it is called food or bread because God is now regarded as a father feasting his prodigal children who have returned home or as a friend, entertaining guests. This represents God as one at table with his people. They feast together. He is no more their foe. If it was the cheap aggravation of Judas' sin, he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me, then it is impossible for God to be otherwise than an eternal friend and everlasting father to those whom he invites home. What a beautiful picture. The importance of a shared meal has always pointed to covenant loyalty and agreement between two parties. We have a picture of this when Jacob and his uncle Laban shared a meal. And that was a covenant meal in which Laban promised that he would not destroy Jacob. And so there's this beautiful picture of this celebration of peace in this communal meal. Beautiful picture. But another really important picture that emerges from this offering is the fact that God is pleased with the celebration of peace. You know, the way most people think of God is that he's some tight-fisted miser who begrudgingly gives us mercies. We have to manipulate him and we have to bargain with him and plead with him and cajole him to give us mercy. What a blasphemous thought of the Living God. What a blasphemous thought of the Living God. Here in the Old Covenant, we see that God, God is the one giving them this food back. God is the one who's celebrating. He's pleased with the celebration of peace. He rejoices that they can come and they can rejoice in this harmonious relationship, this relationship of peace. In fact, let me say, friends, of all the descriptions of this offering in the text, the most encouraging one, the most enriching is that it became a sweet aroma, or a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In fact, this is no doubt a comment on the entire ritual. The proper animal, the shedding of the blood, the fat and the entrails given to the Lord, the offering placed with or on the burnt offering in the communal meal, and as the offering lay on the altar, it was evident to all that God had accepted it, and what it meant. But more than that, friends, not only had God accepted it, but God was pleased with it. It wasn't just like God was saying, OK, you've done the bare minimum, I'm OK with you now. No, He was pleased with it. And again, beloved, if that's the foreshadowing, if that's the type, how much more of the How much more of Christ, who before He was offered up on the cross, the Father said of Him, this is My Son with whom I am well pleased. And of whom Paul writes in Ephesians of His offering and of His life. He says that we are to walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us. An offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling robe. What that means, beloved, is this. Because of that perfect sacrifice, everything you offer to God, even though it is feeble and pitiful, because of Christ's perfect obedience, because of Christ offering Himself up, because of the peace of God through Christ, God is well pleased with us. Well, let me bring some concluding observations and applications. Don't be deceived by the word concluding. I'm going to lead you down the wrong path. It may take a while to get to the end of this. We've only been 5 minutes, 10 minutes into this message. We're still far from over. But let me say this, folks. Let's sum this up. Let's get a picture of this. Let's lay a hold of this. and understand it for ourselves because it is very relevant and very applicable to us. The peace offering was the most joyous celebration in Israel's ritual. An offerer who sought to praise the Lord for His gracious benefits did so by bringing an animal for a peace offering which became a great feast in the sanctuary. You've seen it. But we know that before the offerer and the accompanying family and the assembled priests, people and priests and the poor and the needy could feast on this offering. It had to be done properly. The appropriate steps had to be followed. The burnt offering for atonement, the ritual of the blood, fat and the inner parts of the peace offering and the public proclamation of the occasion. It was heralded, it was proclaimed that this is what was going to happen. And this kind of service may very well have been rare And it may have been limited to those who were able to afford it. That's why we don't have birds in this offering because obviously birds can't feed anyone. This whole idea of this offering was to be a feast, to be a meal. But nonetheless, it became the high point of worship to eat a communal meal in the presence of the Lord because of the lavish goodness of God. because of the benefits of being at peace with God. These were God's chosen people. These were God's people who lavished His love upon them. And for the application to the Old Testament believer, those who surrender their hearts to God and come before Him on the basis of the shed blood of the sacrifice, may celebrate being at peace with God in this communal meal. And when we step back and we look at this text, the point of this text is that the culmination of all worship ritual is when believers share a common meal from the altar. That's why this is the last offering. It's the last offering. The believers share a common meal from the altar in the presence of God. and in the celebration of the benefits of the covenant they share. Several features of Israel's peace offering can be connected to the new covenant. And they can be connected, folks, directly because they are part of progressive revelation. They're part of the development from promise to fulfillment. And that's what we need to see. That's why it's so important for us to lay hold of these feasts, and these offerings, and these celebrations in Leviticus, because they show us the fullness, they lay the foundation for the fullness of what God has done through Christ. But let me say, in general, both the Old Testament and the New Testament express the idea that being at peace with God is the essence of the covenant. Why does God make a covenant with us? So that we can be at peace with Him. So that we can be in fellowship with Him. And both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach us that having received of God's benefits and provisions, we must share the bounty that God has lavished upon us with the congregation. And both of these offerings, this offering, and then as we go to the New Testament, we think of the sacrifice of Christ. Both focus the celebration in a communal meal. We have this table. They had that offering. But friends, this was no common meal. It was an uncommon meal. Because the meat came from the sacrifice. Nobody brought Cooked food. And we brought a party pack with him. The food was given from this offering. And by giving back a part of the offering for the people to eat, God was making a tangible pledge of His promised covenant blessing. Beloved, this is true in the old peace offering, and in every sense it is true in the symbolism of the Lord's Table. In connecting Leviticus 3 with the New Testament, the Apostle Paul, who was a Pharisee, who understood these things better than any of us could, wrote these words, We have peace with God. being justified by Christ's blood through faith. In the earlier chapters of Romans, Paul connected the teaching from the atoning sacrifice in Israel's ritual with the death of Christ. And now Paul relates the outcome of that atonement expressed by the peace offering in these words, being at peace with God. Being at peace with God. My friend, let me ask you, are you at peace with God because of Christ? There is no greater joy for the Christian in this world than being at peace with God through Jesus Christ. And that is why this is the greatest blessing for us to come and sit around this table, this communal meal that speaks of the New Covenant, this supper, the Lord's Supper. This is the table, the true table of thanksgiving. One of the features of the peace offering was thanksgiving. This is the true table of thanksgiving. But friends, this is not a common meal. It is the body and the blood of the Lamb of God. The wine is the blood of the covenant, and the bread is the body of our Lord, broken for us. And when we eat His body, as it were, and drink His blood, using the expressions of our Lord in John 6, verse 54, We are really, in a sense, doing what the Israelites did. We are eating the food that represented in prophetic form the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah. God is feeding us through this table. He is feeding us with Christ. To eat this holy food, in celebration and a witness of our faith that we have been justified by His sacrificed body and blood. I don't want you to miss something really important that may escape our attention this afternoon. I really do want you to understand, friends, at the heart of everything we've been speaking about and looking at today under the peace offering, at the heart of it is the principle that those who have been redeemed and who have given their lives to the Lord is the fact that they will freely participate. They will come joyously. God makes them willing in His day of power and they will partake in these communal acts. This is a joy for us. It's an occasion of celebration. It's an occasion of praise. This should not, this table should not be a struggle for us. It should be a time of celebrating, of recognizing what God has done for us in Christ. It should be a looking away from ourselves and realizing that the work is finished, that when Christ died on the cross and said it was finished, it was done. That Christ's death is the basis on which God accepts us and on the basis on which we have peace. Nothing that we have done But what has been done? To those who understand the sacrifice of Christ, to them the Lord's table will be a wonderful experience of celebration by which they attest that they are at peace with God. I trust and pray, beloved, that this is a special occasion for you. Now there is nothing magical about the elements, of course not. but what these elements convey, what these elements proclaim. And not only should we be joyful, but we should also be, as we reflect on the great mercy of God and the blessing of God, we should also filled with a sense of not only celebrating the peace we have with God, but wanting to share that peace, wanting to share those mercies with others. The peace offering in Israel was given primarily for these reasons. The blood sacrifice was the basis and the means of celebration but praise, vows and freewill offerings were the occasion. The foundation had been laid. The burnt offering had been offered. Now this was offered up as a praise and as a celebration of peace with God and then a sharing of that peace with one another. In Israel this was done by bringing peace offerings for all to share as a communal meal in the new covenant How does it apply? Those who are blessed by being redeemed, by having peace with God, those who are blessed by God come and they offer the sacrifice of praise. And not only do they offer the sacrifice of praise, but they come with the desire to serve others and to share with those in need. One of the blessings of this communal meal, folks, in the Old Covenant was that it was a feast for everyone. Others came and celebrated the peace you had with God. Others celebrated that. And there was a shared meal. And in the same way, when we think about the peace we have with God, the redemption we have with God, we celebrate that peace, but then we also celebrate by giving to others in need. Listen to what Hebrews 13 verse 15 to 16 says, Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. community of faith should be a wonderful community where we praise God, but where we love one another, and outdo one another in showing honor, and serve one another, and give to one another, and bless one another. That's the picture. Because that's who God is and what God is to us. He loves us, and He blesses us, and He shares with us. And He shared His Son, beloved. The best of all gifts. Paul stressed the principle in 2 Corinthians 8 wherein those whom God has richly blessed share with those still in prayer for their needs. Let me also say this friends because the peace offering is the culmination of sacrificial worship for Israel because all the laws of atonement and purification in Leviticus led to this point The goal of this ritual was very clear. What was the goal? The goal was this. Joy and gratitude in the presence of God. Joy and gratitude in the presence of God. No wonder the psalmist writes, in your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. After all, friends, the message that this offering puts before us is that the entrance of believers into the presence of God is not by their works. It is by God's gracious provision of a sacrifice that brings peace within. And that is why every believer can gather together in his presence to celebrate with other believers that this and all the gifts are from him. Beloved, the reality is we bring nothing. The offering has been made. God has provided the lamb. And the table is set. in the presence of His people. And He feeds us. And it is a picture of pure grace. And we reflect our gratitude to this glorious God by eating the communal meal together. We reflect our gratitude, we reflect our praise and our adoration to this living God by coming to the Lord's table. It's a joyous occasion where the bounty of God is lavished upon us. But also it is a joyous occasion where the love and the fellowship that God has given to us is shared and spread amongst one another. And we bless one another. That is why when you look at the book of Corinthians, the main sin there was primarily brother against brother. Because at that table in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, many of them were falling asleep. And why were they falling asleep? Because they were coming there and they were selfishly eating the meal before anyone else could arrive. It was a selfish thing. It was an absolute mockery of the table of the Lord. It was an absolute mockery on what that table was predicated upon. Upon the sacrifice of Christ and the bounty of God in giving all good things to His people. That is why, beloved, we come to the table. It's one thing for us to say we love the Lord. But how is that love of the Lord demonstrated? Do we love one another? Do we serve one another? Do we bless one another or do we deprive one another and defraud one another? I also want to say this, beloved, when we look at this offering and we think about what it means, and we understand it in the right context, truly we can say that the Lord, the law, was indeed sweeter than honey from the honeycomb. This is the law. And Christ has fulfilled the law. And in Christ we can look at the law and we can rejoice. Ah, the law is more precious than gold, than gold, refined many times over, more precious than honey, than droppings from the honeycomb. By them is your servant warned, in keeping them there is great reward. All of the effects of the atonement speak to us that we are at peace with God, that God's holy law has been satisfied, that we have been justified, that we can now walk in the light of his word and love his word and keep his word and honor him and glorify him. All the promises of God that come to us through Him enable the peace that passes all understanding to reign in our hearts. And all the daily benefits of His goodness as a loving God speak words of peace to remind us that we belong to Him. Praise God you belong to Him. Praise God that you are not ward of your own soul because what a hash and a mess you make of it. but you belong to Him, you are His possession. Beloved, how can we keep that to ourselves? Just like this offer, how can we keep this great gift to ourselves? We must share it. Such a bounty, such lavish goodness, such incredible Unparalleled mercy and kindness of God must be publicly acknowledged and shared in the congregation. Are we doing that, friends? It's wonderful that you are thankful to God for the goodness of His love and mercy and redemption in your heart. But are you expressing that love and the bounty of God by being kind and generous to your brethren and sharing the good things God has given to you? Because that was one of the marks of this offering. And let me also say, I think it's one of the marks of coming to the Lord's tab. We're celebrating God's love for us and the peace of God we have, but we're also celebrating and blessing others and sharing our faith with one another and sharing the mercies God has lavished upon us. It's a communal table. It's a table that says we belong to God, but it's a table that says we belong to one another as well. I am so glad that I was able to finish with this offering today because this is a practical demonstration. That's the shadow and the type. This table is a picture of the fulfillment of the substance in Christ. Let me close with three things this passage leaves with us. Three things you can walk away from as you think of Leviticus 3. First of all, I want you to walk away with these three things. In all the enjoyments of His benefits, dear child of God, never forget that you must give your best to God. Secondly, in offering your praise to Him, Dear child of God, never forget that blood atonement is the basis for those benefits. And thirdly, in your celebration of His bounty, remember to surrender your lives to Him. Don't hold anything back. Give him everything. Give him everything. He has given us everything, Prince. He who spared not his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he now? Not with him freely give us all things. Every spiritual blessing is ours. We can't out give God. Give him everything. Give Him everything that your life may be a living sacrifice to the glory of His name. Amen.