Well, in our travels and travails through Hebrews, you know we are in chapter 9 where we deal with many facets of the ministry of Jesus Christ by comparison and by contrast with the Old Testament pictures and shadows which lead us to Christ. There's a lot in Hebrews 9 about the tabernacle, that Old Testament place of worship, that was eventually adapted into the temple. And there's a lot there about the ministry of Old Testament priests. Now, since I understand that we learn by repetition, and since vacation and a cool wedding and some other exigencies limited my study time this week, I decided this would be a great opportunity for a belated introduction to Hebrews Sometimes I kick myself for not doing this when we started. So now's a good time. I want to back up and I want to review something that we studied a couple of years ago when we looked at what amounts to the inspired introduction to the book of Hebrews. It is the Old Testament book of Leviticus. Now, Leviticus was primarily for the priests, but all the people, needed to know about how to approach God through the priests. Leviticus should be required reading as a prerequisite for Hebrews. It is mostly details with one shocking bit of narrative. Now, if you're going to outline the book of Leviticus, it really has two parts to it. Sixteen chapters on how to approach God under the old covenant. and then 18 chapters on how to maintain fellowship with God through the ongoing sacrifices. Now there is a definite theme to Leviticus. I've told you in our studies in Hebrews that there are 50 chapters of the Bible devoted to the tabernacle and what goes on in the tabernacle. 27 of those 50 are the book of Leviticus, the third book of the Bible. Many of the things that are referred to in Hebrews about the priesthood and the sacrifices and how the tabernacle operated come directly from Leviticus. Now as the book of Exodus concludes, we have Israel out of Egypt They've begun their trek to the promised land. They don't yet know that it's going to be delayed an unnecessary 38 years by their disobedience. But this is the time when they've gotten out, they've gotten the instructions about the tabernacle. They've built the tabernacle. God's glory is present, hovering over the tabernacle. And it is all about establishing the priesthood and beginning the sacrifices and getting the tabernacle workers, the Levites, settled into their jobs. That's where Leviticus fits in. Now, over 125 times, Leviticus, in various ways, rebukes mankind for sin, for uncleanness, and it instructs them on how to be purified. The motive for purification, the motive for holiness, the motive for proper worship is seen in two very often repeated phrases in the book of Leviticus. I am the Lord and I am holy. They are used over 50 times in this book. That's the theme of the book of Leviticus. Leviticus leads you to Hebrews and Hebrews teaches you how you truly can be holy in Christ. Leviticus chapter 11 verses 44 and 45, two of the more famous verses from this book, read this way. For I am the Lord, there's that phrase, I am the Lord your God, consecrate yourselves therefore. Now, most of you don't use the phrase, the word consecrate. It means set yourself apart, take Everything you know about God and your approach to God, set it apart from everything else in your life. This is special. This is something different. When you come together around this tent in the wilderness, it's special. This is how you approach the presence of God. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy. For I am holy." You don't have fellowship with God in uncleanness. You have to have some provision that lets Him, in His holiness, welcome you. Then he goes on to say, "...for I am the Lord," there's the phrase again, "...who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, and you shall be holy, for I am holy." To be holy is to set yourself apart from anything unworthy of God's character. How can sin-cursed man approach a holy God? Only by His provision. And it'll do us good to review a few of the highlights from the book of Leviticus. Now, one that I know I've mentioned several times to you, but we do learn by repetition and it's very significant. If we were making the movie about it in our era, and we probably wouldn't, the title would come from a TV show. You're fired. There is only one event in Leviticus recorded. Everything else, Israel doesn't move anywhere. They don't go anywhere. We don't advance the progress of their trip. But there is one event that is designed to shape our understanding of approaching God in His holiness in light of our sinfulness. It's the day of the grand opening of the tabernacle. Now, the structure is finished. There's all the prescriptions about it in Exodus. It's finished now. We're ready to go. God has covered it with His glory. Finally, the day comes for the priests to be ordained and for the sacrificial system to begin operating regularly. From this day on, every sacrifice in this place will picture man's sin and God's provision. It's all designed to point us to the need for a savior. Aaron, the brother of Moses, is the high priest. Aaron and his four sons study hard. They memorize every detail of these rigorous instructions that God has given to them. They go through every sacrifice required for their consecration. Then they wait seven days in the tabernacle because God said to do it that way. And now they're ready to go. It is an incredibly exciting day. The joy and the anticipation among these two million people is absolutely palpable. They are led to expect an unprecedented display of the glory of God. Aaron and his sons do everything exactly as prescribed, offering their first sacrifices in the temple. They offer sin offerings and burnt offerings and peace offerings. And look what happens. Leviticus 9, starting in verse 22. Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. That's what priests do. They operate on behalf of the people toward God. He lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. They went into the holy place. The inner one. Not the holy of holies, Next part, outside that, they went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Don't you wish you could see that? How it was actually displayed? We know there was the pillar of fire by night, the pillar of cloud by day, but the glory of the Lord appeared to the people. And then get a load of this. Two million pairs of eyes on this. I'm not sure how God staged it all. But look at this, then fire came out from before the Lord. Now, before the Lord is a euphemism for the Holy of Holies, where that Ark of the Covenant we studied last time is where the where the. where the mercy seat is, where the cherubim cover the mercy seat, where the blood was sprinkled once a year. Fire came out from inside that little 15 by 15 area and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. This was the first time that fire like this had consumed a sacrifice. And it was shocking. It was miraculous fire. It came from this place where there was no source of ignition except the glory of God. And it instantly and totally consumed the offerings, but damaged nothing else like a bolt of lightning inside your camping tent. And only one thing is struck. Nothing else touched. What a reaction it caused. Nobody had to hold up an applause sign. I've seen idiots on television say, let's give God a clap offering. They did exactly what you and I would do. They shouted. It was shocking. And they fell on their faces. They were in the presence of the holiness of God. They were stunned. They were in awe. They were amazed. They were full of joy because obviously their sacrifices had been accepted. And that's why they shouted. It was the natural reaction. An unprecedented, spectacular display of the glory of God. And why falling on your face? Well, that's what people do when they get a glimpse of the holiness of God. Every eye was riveted on that scene. And chapter 9 ends. You know, the chapter divisions were added by man centuries later. This is kind of an unfortunate one. This is a very unfortunate one. The text actually connects 9.24 to 10.1. Because what happens next happens immediately following the miraculous fire. This is what happened in the next few minutes. Right after the shouting, right after everyone falling on their faces, when they get up, we come to chapter 10, verse 1. Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. This is the number two priest and the number three priest in Israel, the two oldest sons of Aaron. They took their respective firepans, this is part of their tools, the priesthood, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord. Now where is before the Lord? It's in the inner tent. It's in the Holy of Holies. They offered strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. Nadab and Abihu walk right into the place where only the high priest was supposed to go, and he only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Now, what they did here is described by this phrase, offered strange fire. That gives commentators a chance to write hundreds of pages on what they did, speculating about maybe the coals were not taken from the proper altar as required. Maybe the incense that they sprinkled on the coals was not the proper incense for the incense offering. We know it wasn't the time of day for the incense offering, even if it was the proper incense. The point is they did something God didn't say to do. They crossed a boundary that they had been instructed never to cross. Now, think about this. They had watched this place being built. They might have done some hands on work putting it together. And you mean this place where I hung the curtain last week? Before last? You mean I can't pull back that curtain? Yeah, that's what I mean, because this has been made holy. God says, Don't cross that boundary. That's where you have to deal with your sinfulness to approach my holiness. Now, what happens in the next moment is just as dramatic as what happened in the first moment and the previous moment. Chapter 10, verse two. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord. and consumed them and they died before the Lord." Another lightning bolt. Another miraculous lightning bolt. It only consumes two things. Nadab and Abihu. Not even their clothes singed. Miraculous fire. Does that seem harsh? There was no warning. There was no beeper that went off when they got too close to the veil. There was no time for an appeal. There was no voice from heaven that said, wait a minute, hold on, step back. What do you think you're doing? There was no hesitation. The very same miraculous bolt of lightning that consumed the sacrifices pleasing to God now take out priest number two and priest number three of Israel. This is astounding. And of all the things that could have happened, this is the only event recorded in the book of Leviticus. Do you think it's important? This is part of what God wants us to understand. What's it all about? Well, this passage is not about two impatient priests. It isn't about miraculous fire. It isn't about the grief of a father who lost two sons and an uncle who lost two nephews. That's not what it's about. The whole point is in one sentence from God. Chapter 10, verse 3, Then Moses said to Aaron, this is a brother speaking to his brother. They were probably standing side by side. And the way this is recorded, it makes you think that there was something kind of knowing between them, like maybe Nadab and Abihu had a bit of a reputation for not being real rigorous about the rules. We don't know. But this is kind of an understatement. Moses said to Aaron, it is what the Lord spoke. You see, this was not a surprise. God had said, don't do that. This is what the Lord spoke. Now, here's the rest of it. This is what the Lord spoke, saying, by those who come near me, I will be treated as holy. Now, turn that around. Absolutely no one who disrespects my holiness will get near me. And before all the people, I will be honored." My friends, you cannot approach God on your own terms. You must come on His terms, one way and one very specific way. You have a choice. You have freedom. Take it or leave it. God's way or any other way. Heaven Or hell? Those are your choices. Those are your alternatives. Now, what went wrong that day? Did they really get the death penalty because they took coals from the wrong place? The death penalty for peeking behind a curtain? The death penalty for choosing their own incense? Those may have all been factors. There's even a hint in the text that perhaps they had gotten into the communion wine, though there was no communion and no communion wine. But maybe those were factors, but those were not the ultimate issue. The issue is very clear. God made a spectacular, visible, shocking, smoldering, smelling example. Because they did not treat him as holy." Now, my friends, God has not changed. You say, well, this is a lot different. I mean, we're not Israel. This isn't the wilderness. We're not bringing offerings to the tabernacle. We live on the other side of the cross. Yet, all that's changed. But God hasn't changed. And I think Nadab and Abihu were much more like a lot of people in our generation, they got comfortable with it all. They decided they could be casual about it. They decided they could determine what to do. They would just have a come as you are worship service. They had spent a week or more rigorously obeying God's instructions. And now they decided just because we've been installed as priests, now we can freelance. They were going to have their time, you know, had their had they continued faithfully and their father had died, one of them would have become the high priest. But they tried to get in on the action prematurely. Maybe they were a little jealous of Dad getting all the attention when the sacrifices were consumed. My friends, God is the same today that he was then. By the way, you know what verse in the Bible says that? It's in Hebrews. We're coming. We're getting there. But we think in our world, Oh, now, we can just come any old way we want to. Now, I agree. You can worship God anytime and anywhere and all the time and everywhere, and you should. Worship is, in part, presenting your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. That's your reasonable service of worship. That should be an everyday kind of thing. But there is something about the people of God coming together for worship that is special, that is different. We're not Israel. This isn't the tabernacle. We're not talking about holy ground, but we are talking about a holy God. I read you the example a couple of weeks ago about some folks who they really do, I believe, have a desire to reach people for Christ. And they say, we just want to teach people that you can just come and relax and rock out to your favorite songs and understand that worship is fun. You see that in this text? Do you get the idea that God says, Israel, come on, I'll get you out of Egypt. Let's go out into the country and have a party. No, that's not it. Listen, when we come together as the people of God, we are worshiping that very same God. And if you can treat this kind of gathering as something mundane and normal, I think you're missing something huge. If you think it's perfectly fine to just wear the same clothes that you're going to wear for your father's day barbecue later, I'll just come and kick back, bring my big mug of coffee, and I'll just be cool with Jesus today. You've got a God that is not the God of God's Word. Not the God of the universe. Not your creator. Not the one you will answer to. That's why Hebrews is there. And that's why you can't understand Hebrews without understanding Leviticus. Because you've got to understand who God is or you will never take your sin seriously enough and you'll never understand the magnitude of what Jesus Christ did for you on that cross. Oh, by the way, we probably ought to get to the main point of this incident. You know, they they probably thought they were being innovative and clever, probably thought they were being cool. But listen to the main point of this, the only historical incident in this book. Yes, it is about honoring God among his people, but what about for you and me? We aren't Israel and this isn't the tabernacle. What does it mean for you and me? Well, listen to what God said further to Aaron. I'm sure that on that day Aaron was the man in all of those people most open to spiritual lessons, having just watched his two oldest sons incinerated in public. Skip down to verses 10 and 11 of chapter 10. This is so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane and between the unclean and the clean. Now, let me explain that. First of all, it doesn't mean profane in the sense of profanity and disgusting things. But there are things that are holy set apart for the worship of God. And there's everything else, the holy, the profane, the clean and the unclean. What you do when you come to the tabernacle is in an entirely different category than what you do in normal life. Corporate worship, public worship should be set apart different from everything else that is done. It is terribly wrongheaded the way our world is going to say, let's take worship and make it much more like the world so that the world will be comfortable. What you have then is a whole bunch of worldly people being deceived into thinking that they belong to God when they don't because they haven't dealt with the massive insurmountable barrier between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the profane. This happened to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, between the unclean and the clean, and so as, here's the point, to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses. That's the explanation of why God let this happen, why God dealt so dramatically with Nadab and Abihu. It was to teach the other two million people there to take seriously every single detail of every single thing that God Almighty had spoken through His servant Moses. It's there to teach us. You say, well, I'm glad I'm not part of the sons of Israel. It's there to teach us. Leviticus is there to help us understand Hebrews. The law is there to drive us to Christ. Why, you would actually think that it was a tutor. designed to lead us to the Savior. Because do you understand? God is exactly the same God that He was then. He was not unfair to Nadab and Abihu. They got what they deserved for being casual and innovative and cool and comfortable about their worship. I don't know if they nudged their other two brothers and said, hey, watch this. Look what we can do. I don't know what it was. They got what they deserved. They got what I deserve. They got what you deserve. For all the times that we are less than reverent toward God, for all the times that we presume on His grace, for all the times that we fail to regard Him as holy, If everyone got what they deserved, none of us would be here today to draw the next breath. But here we are. Worshiping the same God who dealt that day with Nadab and Abihu. And there's only one way that we can live to do that. When we worship, it has to be on God's terms. True worship cannot be done by anyone who has not come to God on his terms, which now is Accept the sacrifice, accept the free gift of my son, Jesus Christ. The next time you hold that bread of communion in your hand. Before you eat, remember, it symbolizes that God sent his son to die so that you can be part of God's family. Christ has made you holy. So act like it. Next time you hold that little cup of communion in your hand, before you drink, remember, it's there to remind you that Jesus died in your place. You deserve that bolt of lightning. You deserve that cross. That's the reason that you are alive and the reason that you belong to God is that Christ died in your place. The fire of God's wrath was satisfied on your behalf by Jesus on the cross. And my friends, next time you get ready to come to a gathering of worship, think about what you're doing. You know, worship is not about how you feel. That's another horribly wrong idea today. Let's sing the right things and do the right things and get the right feeling going and then we'll get into the groove and then we'll worship God. That's not it. Do you see anything about God manipulating the people's feelings before they came? No, he said, this is how you come. Now, when you come, oh, are there feelings? You get to know the awesome holiness of God. I think those people, when they landed on their faces, had some feelings. I mean, to truly worship God, there are feelings. to truly experience the fellowship of the spirit among his people. Oh, there are feelings. One of the other total idiocies of our day is that you don't have to be a part of the family of God in the church of God in order to be a Christian. I don't know what Bible they're reading, but you get into this group. by coming to the Savior. And then once you're in the Savior, you're in the group and we're in this together. That was to teach all the sons of Israel about the holiness of God. That's why it's so amazing that that veil that covered the entrance into the Holy of Holies was torn in two from the top to the bottom when Jesus died, because now we have access to Him because of what Christ has done on our behalf. We ought to say something else about Leviticus. Highlight number two. Why so bloody? Why is it so important? Leviticus 17 11 is the key. For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement." Now think about this for a moment. As blood flows through your body, it carries life-sustaining elements to every cell in your body, and it carries away waste to process it. Therefore, blood represents the essence of life itself. When your heart stops pumping blood, you don't last very long. All right, blood is basically a representation of life. The shedding of blood is Hebrew metonymy for death. It is saying that's how we know that a death is taken. The blood is shed, but it's not just bleeding. It's the giving of the life. That's the word picture for death. That's why to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice upon the altar was so important. The animal had to die as the substitute. Then the blood of the animal, which proves that the animal has died, had to be sprinkled on behalf of the worshipper. The blood of the substitute atones for the sinner who is then allowed to live. That's why Christians sing something. I mean, why in the world would a non-Christian ever want to come into a group that sings, are you washed in the blood? Yeah. The soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb. That's the blood we're talking about. Because the wages of sin is death. But because Christ has shed His blood, and when you receive the free gift, the blood is applied on your behalf, the free gift comes through the death of Jesus Christ. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The book of Leviticus is the inspired introduction to Hebrews. You might want to go back and listen to the sermon from a couple of years ago when we blew through Leviticus on our way through the Old Testament. And I compared the Old Testament sacrifices to Christ's sacrifice in detail. We're not going to take the time to do that here because we're in the process of doing it from the other end over in Hebrews. We're looking back and seeing how it all fits together. Why you would think that the whole law thing, all of these sacrifices, you would think it was designed to lead you to Christ. Because that's exactly what it is. So, finally from Leviticus, what should you learn from Leviticus? Those two key verses, 1144 and 45, read this way. For I am the Lord your God. And there's exclusivity in that. I, I alone am God, Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth. I am the Lord your God. I am your master. I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God, and thus you shall be holy, for I am holy." If you are even for one millisecond tempted to say again, boy, am I glad I don't live back in those days when we had to deal with a God like that. Let me tell you, you have to deal with a God like that Because there is one and only one God, king of kings, lord of lords, creator of heaven and earth, to whom you will answer, to whom everybody we know will answer. Skim ahead toward the end of your Bible. To First Peter. First Peter, chapter one, verses 14 through 19. God doesn't change. Listen to this. As Obedient children. Now, that's a definition of a child of a child of God, a Christian, one who obeys the father as obedient children. Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. Some people think that God can just save them in spite of their sins. You know, you just keep on living any old way you want to. But you say the magic words and you're going to heaven. The Bible never teaches that. Not anywhere. Not once. Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. Let the grace of God change you. But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior, because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy." Where did that come from? Leviticus. It's quoted in 1 Peter. And if you address us, Father, the one who impartially judges according to each man's work, impartially judging, same judge that snuffed out Nadab and Abihu. If you address us, Father, the one who impartially judges each man according to his or his work, conduct yourselves in fear. during the time of your stay upon earth, knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood as of a lamb, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. Be holy, for God is holy. If your life lacks a sense of holiness, If you can do everything you do and everything you do that you say is why you call yourself a Christian just blends in with everything else. You need to understand holiness. We come together as the people of God. It is a special thing. It is different from your Father's Day picnic, your barbecue. That doesn't mean that the barbecue and the picnic are wrong, but everything unholy is not the same as that which is holy. And this phrase, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth. Fear God, the fear of God. Our world doesn't like that. We try to say, well, fear means reverential respect. Yeah, it does. It also means be scared spitless that a bolt of lightning could take you out right now. Fear God. And you will answer to Him. You say, well, now you're just getting legalistic. Now you're telling me I've got to live all this way. I'm just telling you what the Bible says. Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth. Be holy, for I am holy. There's one way you can come to God. And it's His way. You can approach Him on His terms. One way. One very specific way. 1 Timothy 2, 5 and 6 puts it this way, For there is one God, and you will answer to him, and one mediator between God and man, meaning one and only one way that you can come to that God, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. My friend, there is the holy and the profane. There is the clean and the unclean. Apart from Christ, you're stuck in the unclean. And it may not be today. I don't know of anyone who has been consumed in the sight of the people of God by a bolt of lightning for a long, long time. God is very patient. God is very gracious. But if you're not in Christ, there's a bolt with your name on it. And it will strike. And it will be at the great white throne judgment where everyone there, after being bolted, enters the lake of fire. Don't be there. Live in the fear of God by faith in Jesus Christ that He might be glorified in your life. And yes, there are holy things in this world. Yesterday at the wedding, I bowed my head and I said, thank you for this holy moment of commitment, because it sets it aside from everything else. Your worship of God, your service of God should be set aside from everything else, so that when you do everything else, it's all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Our Father, thank You for Your grace to us. You shall be holy, for I am holy, O Lord. Write those words on our hearts. Remind us that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever, and thank You. Never let us forget to say thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ. in whom we stand by Your grace and for whose glory we live. Whatever you need to do in our lives to teach us holiness, do it, I pray. Whatever you need to do to make us the more useful, to spread the good news of a Savior that can spare people from the lightning bolt of the wrath of God, do that work in us, we pray, to make us Your servants for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.