This evening we are going into the book of Leviticus. Leviticus chapter one, verse one, the Lord called unto Moses, speak unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Leviticus chapter one, verse one, Old Testament survey, the burnt offering. Leviticus will be our third Old Testament survey. We will not be doing an exposition of the chapters we are considering. I will only be touching on key subjects of the chapters that we will be surveying over the course of time. Leviticus gives instructions of the duties of the Levites in the tabernacle. The literal meaning of the word is given in the very first verse of the chapter, and he called. That's the title, and he called. This also applies to all believers, not just the Levites, and he called. God has called us to be Levites, in the real sense, and I will explain it. as I go along. We are indeed the called out of this world. At times, we do not behave as though we are the called out of the world, and it is a very serious calling. The book of Leviticus is one of those books in the Bible that is not read by many Christians. Others do not understand the meaning of Leviticus. One of the chief teachings in the book is the holiness of God, something that has become so far removed from the church and from people today. It shows how sinners should approach God. Hebrews chapter four and verse 29, I think it is the book of Deuteronomy, but Hebrews tell us that our God is a consuming fire, and it is a quote from Deuteronomy 4.25. Sinful man can only approach God through the means of a mediator. And we know this from in the Old Testament books, Genesis, we see this highlighted. There were many blood sacrifices commanded to be offered for man's trespasses. Remind us that we are transgressors and we must offer sacrifices to appease the wrath of God. The gospel of Christ shines clearly in the book of Leviticus just like any other Old Testament book. In this survey of Leviticus, we will be considering the burnt offering. I will be considering three specific observations from this chapter. Let me give them to you. One, the categories of burnt offerings. two, the characteristics of the offering. I take this carefully because I wouldn't be repeating it. I want you to get it. And three, the consumption, the consumption of the burnt offering. First, then, let us look at the categories of burnt offerings. Verse one, Lord, call unto Moses, speak unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying. Now first here we see the tabernacle is in place. God is no longer speaking to Moses from the mount, or as he did from the bush, but from the tabernacle of the congregation. It is an insight. There's a message for us to consider. God addresses his people by one he has ordained to represent him. God is a God of order. He spoke to Moses, who was commanded to speak to the Lord's people. Verse 2 tells us this. unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd of the flock." Now, there were three categories of burnt offerings God accepted. The first, from the cattle of the herd of the flock. The second from the sheep or the goats, verse 10. And if his offering be of the flocks, namely of the sheep or of the goats for a bird sacrifice, he shall bring it a male without blemish. The third category God accepted was from the livestock. Verse 14. I'm giving you the categories. of burnt offering, so you have to follow me swiftly. And if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtle doves or of young pigeons. Remember when we used to have the harvest time? When I was a little boy growing up, And every year we used to have harvests. And my mother could not afford to give big things to the harvest. And she would give me like two eggs to carry to the church. I don't know if, Brother Depo, you came up as an Anglican. And I would carry these two eggs, not knowing what I was doing. But the categories of offering or offerings represent classes of people. And here we see the fowls and the young pigeons. God had a purpose for selecting these categories. God is all wise. One, they were accessible. God did not ask to bring a tiger or a lion, because you couldn't get it. God is practical. Neither did he ask to bring a bear or a fox. I can just see some of us looking for a fox to bring. But very specific from the cattle, the herd, and the flock. Also the Lord chose these categories because they were not beyond the reach of the worshiper. The wealthy owned oxen, the middle class had flock of sheep and goats, The poor on turtledoves, fowls, and young pigeons, like Mary, the mother of Jesus, who couldn't afford a lamb, but brought turtledoves. The Son of God, the mother he used, God used to bear, the Son of God couldn't afford a lamb, but brought young pigeons. God is all wise. No man can excuse himself for not worshiping this God. As poor as you are, you are called to worship this God. And that's why we have the categories of the burnt offering. God provided the means of worship for all men, for there's one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Today, many have made excuses to worship. It's too far to come. I've been already this morning. I can't come back. Meanwhile, God has given them the means, given them an automobile, given them the wherewithal. This lady come by Uber every Sunday. I don't want to hear that. God has given you the means, an automobile, a place to live, breath to breathe. The problem with man is that we are idolaters. and we have our own gods, and it is terrible, especially in our day in New York City. In Africa, people walk miles. My Kuga can't walk, she need a kin, and she walked six miles to church every Sunday and back. God demands our worship, and he has given us the means, the categories, and we should take note of this. Note that these offerings were to be brought by a personal representative. We read in each category of the offering that the offer was to be a male, a head of household. It tells me that the father is responsible for the worship of his family. Sometimes I chide with you, I ask you, where's your daughter? Where's your son? I don't know. What shame on you? I wish somebody will be in my house and my pastor asks me where they are. And I say to them, I don't know. We must read the scripture. we must be taught the scriptures. That's the only way we would know God. Each category of the offering, the offerer, was to be a male. This is signified, or is to signify, his meaning. And we find that the words he, his, let him bring, is in the context. Read it. Mom, wife, sister, auntie was not supposed to bring any offering to approach God. I didn't see that. If you see it, you can show me. I heard from Godfrey couple of weeks ago. He called me. He said, Pastor, where in the Bible do you find once a man, twice a child. I says, Brother Godfrey, that is not in the Bible. Yes, yes, it's in the Bible, but when you find it, call me back and show me. I didn't hear back from him. He's telling a pastor what is in the Bible that is not in the Bible. I was so confused that I went for my concordance and put it down in front of me to make sure I was right. And meanwhile, he talking and I scanning it. I says, Brother Godfrey, that is not in the Bible. Yes, yes. We can be so ignorant and ignorance is a terrible thing because it will end up leading people to hell. And they don't want to listen. The reason why God chose the male is because the male is a representative of the Lord Jesus, who offered himself for sinners. Also, the offering must be offered voluntarily. You keep reading, willingly. The offer should not be forced. or coerce to offer just as Jesus willingly gave himself. No man take my life from me, but I laid it down of my own. And today you have to coerce people to come to church. Force them to attend church. And to attend church in a timely manner. Beg them. Rather than if the Lord would give us a heart to worship him, we don't have to do that. Where did we get that from? A true child of God should not have to be coerced. to give of themselves or of their resources to God. If you and me have to be coerced and coached to be faithful, it is because God has not done a work in our hearts. For he makes his people willing in the day of his power. There's a saying, I heard when I was a boy, forced medicine is for mad horse. You probably heard that. If you find that you have to be coerced and coached to attend Sunday school and church, something is seriously wrong. Or even forced to give to God's work. We should ask ourselves, why I do not love God? Why? We should ask that. So I've shown you the categories of the offering. And there are three different categories. And I give you the purpose why there are these categories. God did not want to leave anybody out. The rich, the in-between, the poor, the beggar. Even the beggar could go and beg for a couple of turtledoves or young pigeons. You couldn't steal them, because God would not accept a stolen offering. People say, if they win lottery, they'll give it to the church. Don't bring it here. I beg you. The characteristics of the burnt offering, verse three. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the first, sacrifice of the herd. Let him offer a male without blemish. He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord." Verse 3 characterizes the burnt offering as a male without blemish, not a female. Jesus is in view, according to 1 Peter 1, 18 through 20, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish, without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for you. Here, Peter tells us that Christ was ordained before the foundation of the world. When those lambs was offered, they were pointing to someone who already exists, Christ. They were just pictures. The burnt offering was to be brought at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. Why? The door is the entry point of the tabernacle. It's where you enter the tabernacle. It suggests that there must be cleansing before entry. The door is the first point of entry before worship. And you and I must first have dealings with the door before worship. Do you know who the door is? and some of us rushing here anyhow, trampling through, running through the courts of the church, and children need to stop that. This is the house of God. Treat it that way. The place of personal self-check, the door. Sometimes when you get to the door, I'm not speaking of a glass door, You begin checking. Let me see if I, but you don't check your pockets at the door, you check your heart before you enter. God is very meticulous and deliberate. And some of us don't like Leviticus, but you better read it because it instructs us in the way of worship. Reformed worship. Viticus 1.10, and if it's offering be of the flocks, namely of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt offering, you shall bring it a male without blemish. Same thing repeated, the characteristics without blemish. Another thing we see in the offering, it must be from among the worshipers on flock. It must be a sacrifice. We must feel it. It must be from our stock, from our stack. Whatever God gives to us should be used for him. Men like to grab what they have as their own. But worship teaches us to give what we have. I remember a lady in our church, one time the offering was coming around, she knows who she is. And she went in her wallet and all she had was a $20 bill and the plate come around. And her nephew was sitting next to her. And she says, this is all I got. And then we said, well, give it up. And Jackie's laughing, because she remembered it's her. She's there grinning, worrying. What an example. She's, this is my last 20 dollars. Well, give it. And some of you, sometimes you have your last 20. And the offering come. And you say, it's my last 20. I'm sorry. This has happened to me many times here on Sunday evenings. When I look, all I got is 20 and Marshall's sitting right next to me looking to see what I'm gonna do. Give it up. Nothing is too much for God. You must feel it. And I'm serious. And if you're like that, shame on you. $2, $3, what is that? You don't even get a four-year-old $3 now. They want 20. But you wanna give God a treat. You must feel it. Must be from among the worshipers on flock. Must be a sacrifice. The offering should not be borrowed from next door. The type is meant to show that our Savior was one of us. He was human. He was from the tribe of Judah. He was made man. Perfect life without sin. The third characteristic seen in the offering is, in the case of the flock, all the animals were horned animals. Horned. This is what I mean. Horned animals. The oxen, the bull, the sheep, the goats had horns. Horns are a symbol of strength. We should not wait till our weakest days be upon us to give God honor and service. We should honor him when we have strength, energy. The Bible says that Jesus was cut off in the prime of his life, best of his days. And some of us want to wait till we are old and dry again, and then serve God. When I done work, when I retire, I hear this all the time when I retire. Should not wait till our weakest days Come to serve God. Serve him now. Look at this piano. Look at the children that are in here. Our children are trained for this world. To get their degree and to go. Leave. Is that what it is? The animals were horned. The strength belongs to God. As a matter of fact, Jesus is called the horn of our salvation. The strength of our salvation. Leviticus? Leviticus is dripping with the gospel. You better find it. In our culture as well as the church today, our children are being trained for the world, as I say. It is a sad reality Notice with me another constant phrase in the characteristics of the burnt offering, and that they all were a sweet savor to God, a sweet smell to God. He was pleased with them. Verse nine, an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord." Verse 13, an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord. Verse 17, an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord. Again and again and again, the offering, when God smelled it, it was sweet. It was pleasing. And this is why the apostle can say, be you followers of God as their children and walk in love as Christ also have loved us and have given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Ephesians 5, 1 and 2. So we look at the categories of the burnt offering. We look at the characteristics of the burnt offering. Let's close by looking at our third heading, the consumption of the burnt offering. The nature of a burnt offering is that it must be totally consumed. You don't burn peace and go back for the next peace. It would not be a burnt offering. If we do like Eli's sons, who would stick around and take part of the offering for themselves, that was terrible. And that is how bad worship had become in the days of Eli. And it is not a whole lot different in our day. It's not a whole lot different. I talked this morning about how in some countries, because they can't get pregnant by pastors, phony pastors, and such delight. It is terrible. But the nature of a burnt offering is that it had to be totally consumed. Back in verse six, we are told that the priest shall flay. You're looking at these texts because it is a survey. The priest shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into his pieces. The priest was to remove the skin of the slain beast, rendering it exposed. This symbolizes that God desires our flesh to be removed so that he can see our inward parts. That's why the priest had to flay the offering. Just take the flesh off. Let me see the skin and the inward parts. That's what was offered to God. It symbolizes that God desires flesh to be removed. And today a lot of worship is done in the flesh. We like to get in the way, we like to show. I do not like showmanship. It is distasteful. As the animal stood bare and exposed, with all its inward part showing, this is how sinful man must become. No wonder the Lord Jesus was stripped bare on the cross, hanging, exposed with his nakedness, with our sins before God. So to shame somebody, probably throw a towel around him. That's how God wanted his son to be, bare, straight. Violet ripped his robe off of him in the judgment hall. Verse eight and nine, Jesus stood bare. on the cross as he bore our sins. He is the burnt offering. Verse eight and nine. And the priest Aaron's sons shall lay the parts, the head and the fat in order upon the wood that is on the fire, which is upon the altar, but his inwards and his legs Shall he wash in water, and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to the Lord. Our hearts, our feet, belongs to God. Where do you carry your feet when you're not here? Where do you carry them? the animal that was offered as a burnt offering was to be consumed in totality. Its fat, its head, its inward parts, its legs must be washed before offering. And when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, that's what he was signifying. And poor Peter said, wash my head too. It is meant to show the total depravity of man. Totally depraved. Every part of man is filthy, fit for the fire. Burnt offering meant a burnt offering. And many who say that they have given themselves to God ever so often take off and do their own bidding. Take off. Do what they want. What's that? That is not an offering. That's a loan. God doesn't accept loans. Nobody brought a lamb there and says, I'm gonna lend this to God. It was a burnt offering. God doesn't accept loans. The type is meant to show that Christ gave of himself totally for sinners. We have nothing to offer. Hebrews 13 tells us, it picks up the idea, saying, for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. It has meaning. for us today. Verse 16 says, he shall pluck away, this is the animal, the fowl, his crop, his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part by the place of the ashes, trash. The crop, you know the crop, where the food goes? You ever see your mom kill a fowl? You see it in Africa a lot. The crop. Garbage heap. It's not fit for consumption. And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder, and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. So we clearly see in this burnt offering pictures, don't we? Pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ. He fulfilled them in every detail. He was offered at the door of the city of Jerusalem, outside the city as the Lamb of God. But let us not forget that the Christian life is one that is to be offered to God. And that's why Paul called believers in Ephesians to be followers of God as their children. When you and I decide that we're gonna take part of the Lord's day, when you and I decide that we're gonna give the Lord part of our service or time, and keep the rest for ourselves, we haven't understood the gospel. And even though it is taught and we still go against it, it means that we are rebellious, terribly rebellious people. God doesn't teach people the word of God that they can store knowledge in their heads. I am not studying for that. I'm not burning the midnight oil to show you what I have learned in the scriptures. I am showing you how you can be a better Christian, if a Christian at all. That's why I labor night and day, that if possible, God will save his elect. the apostle tells, walk in love. As Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Just as those burnt offerings were offered voluntarily without being coerced, we too are exhorted In that famous passage, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. Those animals were presented alive. You could not bring a dead animal to the door. Holy. acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Paul reaches back to Leviticus and tells you and I how you ought to worship God. Those beasts that were offered were not dead or crooked or lamefoot. I was telling Marcellus, this afternoon that you know a priest could not be humpback, or crooked, or scurvy, or hoppy. I said, so why? That's discrimination. No, it is not, because the priest must fit the anti-type price. And today men want to be in the pulpit that are crooked, We better be careful who we ask to preach in our pulpit, light, twisted. Those beasts that were offered were tender, tender in age, prime. Our God does not deserve the leftovers, left over time. When we don't have anything else to do, that's for God. He deserves quality time. The best, early in the morning. Shouldn't walk in here 10 minutes in my sermon. There are guys walking here, start again 10 minutes ago and they're walking here. I told Brother Houghneal, you should tell those people, it is better not to come here. than to come here 10 minutes late and be a distraction in my sermon. Stay out. Yeah, yeah, I mean it. I said it. That's how I treat worship. That's how you should see it. We have gotten so used to mediocrity that we think here is mediocre. Here is not mediocre under my watch. Maybe somebody else watch, but not my watch. God doesn't deserve leftovers. It is not unreasonable to present our entire being to God. We should never come to a point where we are too exhausted, that we are unprepared for. I've heard people say that. I said, I just couldn't make it, I was too tired. What is it that have made you too tired? I bet it's something of this world. These men ain't gonna say these things when they come here. Let's give God his due. Let's give him his due. He give us his all. It's not unreasonable. No, the pastor is not unreasonable. He's a representative of his Heavenly Father. We should never come to a point in our life where we are too exhausted to worship God. Leviticus has a message for us today. One, we are to worship God through the means he has shown us. God is holy. Second, God wants the whole man, not part. This is seen in the burnt sacrifices. We are not called to offer bulls and rams and turtle doves and young pigeons. The Bible says about our Lord, wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for saying, thou desirest not, thou hast given me a body, therefore I come. In the volume of the book it is written of me. A volume is 66 books that speak of Christ. I came to do thy will, O God. That's all, Lord. At times, people, bodies, are so beaten up and abused, they're not prepared. And I say, the way people manage their bodies is a reflection of how they're managing their souls. Pastor Margaret used to be beating up the men to manage their bodies. If you were one of these men that were wearing your jeans with those holes in them, you should stop doing that. That's the world. I see some ladies doing that. What's so wrong with wearing the whole jean pants? Let's not be like the world. Let's be like the Lord. Suppose you see me with my pants all the way down behind my butt, with my underwear showing on the street. Are you like that? I see a guy in Zimbabwe like that. I said, but why you got your pants like that? He said, oh, I forgot my belt. He didn't forget his belt. He copied it from right here in America, Chinonisan. The Lord wants our heads. He wants our legs. He wants our inward parts. The only thing he doesn't want is our flesh. That's why it was fled, it was taken off. It was burned and left on the trash heap. So may we understand the burnt offering in Leviticus. May we understand it is about worship. It is about sacrifice. It's about surrender. It's about the Lord Jesus. Let us pray. Amen. Surely, Lord, you have said in your word that not a jot or a tittle would not be fulfilled. and you did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill the law. You have done what we could not do for ourselves. And we pray, oh Lord, that you will help us to repair you with the life you have loaned to us. Oh yes, Lord, we would fail you. and we have many times, and we pray you will forgive us. But we pray you will help us in this world to live our lives to the glory of our Savior who loved us and died for us. We pray in his name. Amen.