hearing to throughout the course. If you haven't received one of these, or one per person, we have a few extra copies. So if you'd like a booklet, go ahead and raise your hand, and Stephen will make sure you get one. So if you don't have a booklet, raise your hand. We'll make sure that Stephen gets you one. I bet Andrew in the back needs one, too. One over here, too, Stephen. There you go. Well, good morning and welcome back. I'm glad to see everybody here again today. As I just made reference to, I want to begin by making a brief announcement about something that we're doing to modify how we're approaching this class. We do hope that the content's been helpful to you so far. We've made it through the book of Genesis and the book of Exodus up to this point. And based on some feedback we received from a number of you, we've actually decided just to slow down a little bit. So that might be a piece of some relief to you. I hope it is. It'll be a relief to me, because essentially, the curriculum that we're using is really designed to be used in an hour-long class. And what Steve and I have been trying to do is to weed it down to fit it into about a 40-minute class. And I think that's probably been challenging, not just for us, but also for you all, to really Soak it all in. So we've decided to essentially split the classes in two, which will give us hopefully some more time for discussion, some questions, and hopefully just give you some more time for it to sink in a little bit. So what was one week in the book of Leviticus will become two weeks. So keep giving us feedback so we can continue to improve. And thank you for your patience. This is obviously the first time we've taught a class just like this. So any feedback we get from you guys is very helpful. Well, today and next week, we're going to be in the book of Leviticus. Leviticus has very little narrative, and at times it provides a lot of details about things that really might seem pretty unrelated, or unrelatable, I should say, to modern life. Because of that, it's often neglected as a book. But without Leviticus, I think we would lose a huge body of knowledge about God's holiness, our sin, and Christ's work on the cross, right? So I'm looking forward to the next two weeks in Leviticus, and I hope that you feel the same. Let's go and begin our time with a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for time to just slow down and open your word. And Father, to consider big themes that we see throughout your word, big themes that we see throughout the Old Testament, and big themes that we see this morning and next week in the book of Leviticus. Help us, Father, to see you as our holy God. Help us, Father, to know your judgment and your wrath against sin. And help us, Father, to see so clearly your provision of an atoning sacrifice for us. We thank you. Christ, let me pray. Amen. All right, so let's begin with some context. We're going to kick off on the first of your book there if you're taking notes. Leviticus picks up right where Exodus left off. The entire book takes place really less than a month after the tabernacle was finished. So we're still hovering around the 15th, the mid-15th century BC. We're still at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God brought the Israelites after their escape from Egypt, and where Moses received the Ten Commandments. It was on Mount Sinai where Moses received the instructions to build what? Y'all remember? What did he tell them to build? The tabernacle, that's right, the tabernacle. And after the Israelites built it, we saw that God's glory filled it. And it became the physical manifestation of his dwelling among his people. So what's next? Well, that's where Leviticus comes in. And if you're following along in the kingdom timeline, so this is in that booklet, really the first page of that booklet has the words kingdom across the top, just to reorient us on where we are kind of in our timeline. We're still firmly under the letter N. Okay, this is on the front of your page here too, N. Nation redeemed and commissioned. Specifically, Israel is receiving the law. Okay, that's represented on the two little tablets here. and will be given instruction for dealing with their sin through substitutionary sacrifice. That represents that little lamb here. So this is where we are in kind of the timeline of our study. The book's name is derived from the Greek Septuagint, meaning things concerning Levites. That's what Leviticus means, things concerning Levites. But beyond just dealing with the Levites, its purpose is to further codify the relationship between God and Israel after the initial covenant terms which were given at Sinai. In light of the new covenant, Leviticus lays the foundation for Christian understanding of the need for holiness. Okay, this is a big idea. This is what I want you to remember from this time, that there's a deep need for holiness. Also the representative and exalted role of the high priest, we see this in Leviticus. And also some other really important theological concepts, like the idea of substitutionary sacrifice. In the even broader context of biblical theology, Leviticus represents really another step forward. It's like a pit stop on the way to the promised land. God is having his people remain at Mount Sinai just long enough for Moses and Aaron to receive these words on holiness. And he wants to make it clear that being the people of a holy God is really no light matter. So if you recall, one way for us to summarize the goal of redemptive history is God's people and God's place under God's rule. People, place, rule. That's kind of a way to articulate the goal of redemptive history. So if we get down to the theme at the bottom of your page there, it's a pretty simple sentence, but a really, really important one. Simply this. God is holy. and therefore his people must be holy too. Okay, this is our theme sentence really for this week and also for next week. And if we were to summarize this sentence in a single word, I think the best way to do it would just to be simply holy. That's if we were to boil it down to one word, holy, or maybe holiness, right? Be holy. That would be if we were to try to summarize it even further than that simple sentence. So to be holy is to be distinct. It's to be different. It's to be holy, pure, W-H-O-L-L-Y, pure, holy, pure. God is holy like this, right? He is unlike anything or he is unlike anyone. He is perfect. There is no flaw in him at all. He has no shortcomings in ethics, in wisdom, in justice, or in any other virtue. And because God is holy, his people must be holy also. Why is this? Well, it's because his people, because as his people, they say something about him to the rest of the world, right? That's what they're doing by being holy, is they're representing God to the rest of the world. So let's kind of work out that question a little bit. Let's start with a question before we really get into Leviticus. Why is it important for God's people to be holy? Okay, just gave you one reason. Why else? Why is it important for God's people to be holy? Yes, ma'am. Okay, we reflect His glory, that's right, and that pleases Him for us to reflect His glory. That's a great one, absolutely central. Any other thoughts? I heard something. Light to the world, kind of what we just made mention to. That we say something about Him to the rest of the world by being holy ourselves. Those are two really big ones. What else? Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. We'll see that text show up a little bit later today. So thank you, Africana. That's good. Yep. Doesn't like sin. Yep, absolutely. He hates sin. That's a good strong, that's a stronger word. Definitely. Yep, that's good. So holiness is to pursue, you know, avoidance of or, you know, to not participate in sin in any way. What about for our own happiness? How does our own happiness fit into this question about holiness? Is the happy life the holy life? I think so, right? We may not can do all the things we might want to do in a given moment of any time, but I think a life of pursuing holiness will absolutely result in kind of a deep-rooted joy within the person. And the reason for that is because we begin to live according to how God created us to live. We begin to really fulfill the nature that He created us to have, which was to be His creatures under His rule in His place, right? That's the whole goal. So, good discussion. So the outline printed in your handout allows us to quickly see how Leviticus emphasizes these themes. And it's this outline that we're going to be used in our review this morning. So the outline that I'm referring to is on the back of your handout. So really what we're going to do is just work through this. So it's there on the back. But let's go ahead and open up your pamphlet. And we'll get to the first. to the first page in just a moment. But before you do that, notice how the book flows. Look how it flows through that outline. It's really a real gospel train of thought, I guess you could say. First, there are laws that tells the Israelites how they might approach God. That's part one. But when they fail in their obedience, provision is made for them in the form of a substitutionary sacrifice. That'd be part two of your outline. And then from the position of forgiveness and grace, the people are called to live holy lives, part three. So you can kind of see a form of the gospel taking shape there, even in how the book of Leviticus is laid out. So for the rest of this class and the next, I'm simply going to walk through this outline to show how Leviticus puts all these pieces together. We'll start with offerings. and then look at the priesthood, and then the holiness code, which is both in chapters 11 through 15 and 18 through 27. So there's a break that we'll address next time. We'll finish with that middle section, verses 16 and 17 next week, and we're gonna spend the entire time looking at the Day of Atonement. So that'll be fun. Our goal, what we hope to see, is that within Leviticus, vivid portrayals of God's holiness are interwoven within graphic descriptions of salvation through judgment. This idea of salvation through judgment is a really key theme, not just in Leviticus, but really through the whole of the Scriptures. Alright, so go ahead and take your Bibles and turn to Leviticus. We're going to just briefly look at chapters 1 through 7. Chapters 1-7, the offerings. Okay, the offerings. Chapters 1-7 explain how ordinary Israelites are to bring offerings to God. There are five main offerings that the book of Leviticus gives us. Burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. I'll read that again if you're taking notes. burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. Let's look at the burnt offerings first. They're meant as an atonement for sin. Look at chapter 1 verses 3 through 5. Here it is. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting." So the placing of the hands on the head is a symbolic act of a transfer of the sinner's guilt onto the bull, right? Then the bull is killed for that person's sins. So when an Israelite is aware of his sin, this is what he essentially needed to do. So how many bulls, how many sheep, how many goats, how many birds, etc. do you think a single Israelite might have to offer over the course of his entire life? Probably quite a few, right? Israel was a bloody place. Really was. I think the point of this is, do you think that the Lord takes sin seriously? Well, Israelites, they had it graphically imprinted upon them through these offerings. There was this constant reminder of the effects of sin through all the blood that was shed, all the animals that were burnt, all the animals that were sacrificed to atone for sin. Very, very graphic. And I think that was supposed to have a certain kind of effect on the people of Israel. Then we have the grain offerings, chapter two, verse one, offered as acts of devotion and remembrance. They were offered as recognition of God's goodness and provision, so this was more of a Thanksgiving-type offering. Then there were peace offerings, chapter 3, verse 1, which emphasized the fact that all that belonged to the Israelites really belonged to the Lord. Another offering was sin offering, which was meant to cover sins that were unintentionally done or they were done in ignorance. That's chapter 4, verse 2, if you're following along. So even if one doesn't know some act is a sin, according to Leviticus, it still is a sin. God's standards are measured by His own holiness, not by our own awareness or not even by our own intentions. So maybe this is an interesting thought to you. Probably we've all had this thought before, but did you ever think that if you didn't mean to sin, it wasn't sin? Have we had that thought before? I have, to be honest. If I didn't mean to sin, it's probably not sin, right? Because my heart was pure in it, right? Apparently intentions aren't everything, I think is what Leviticus can offer us when it comes to the sin offering, which was an offering being offered on sins that were committed in ignorance. And finally, there's the guilt or the trespass offering. This is chapter five, verse six, which is really meant to highlight the wickedness of sin and atone for it at the same time. This particular one is to be offered when one becomes ritually unclean, okay, or if he sins against his neighbor. So if you sin against your neighbor, if you cause some damage, then a guilt or trespass offering is what needs to be offered. Then in chapter six and seven lay out how these sacrifices are to be made. Every detail is laid out, how much of what offering is to be sacrificed, how animals are to be slaughtered, what utensils are and are not to be used. God intends his people, both then and now, to feel the sheer burden caused by sin. And what's most noteworthy here is the uncompromising exactness of our holy God. all as a foreshadowing, essentially, of how Christ would be the perfect lamb who would be slain on our behalf. Does anyone have any questions up to this point? Anything I need to clarify? Okay. Yeah, the grain offering, good question. Okay, let me find my section here. Yep, the grain offering were offered as acts of devotion or remembrance. They were offered as a recognition of God's provision and His goodness. So kind of a Thanksgiving type offering. Good question, yep. Good. Let's go ahead and move forward, chapters 8 through 10, the establishment of the priesthood. This is the second section in your notes there. So having established how individuals, okay, in the first section are to offer sacrifices, Leviticus now turns to how the nation as a whole is to worship the Lord. So looking at chapters 8 and 10, we see Aaron's appointment as Israel's first high priest, with all of his descendants set apart. This promise was given in Exodus chapter 28, verses 1, that Aaron and his offspring would occupy this very specific role within the people of Israel. Within these chapters are more regulations and more guidance on how priests are to conduct themselves in the execution of these duties. Again, the main lesson for us is that the sins of God's people require great effort to be covered by a seemingly unendless flow of sacrificial blood. And again, as we think about this in light of Christ, Christians are reminded of how Christ perfectly fulfilled His role as our great High Priest, right? After his sacrifice was complete, what happened to the curtain within the Holy of Holies in the temple? Do y'all remember? Okay, it was torn in two, right? Really great kid's book. Buy it if you have young ones. The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross. It kind of lays out a whole biblical theology of this very concept that's, I think, quite powerful. So get that kid book if you want to learn more about the significance of the curtain being torn in two. So after his sacrifice was complete, the great curtain and the holy of holies that separated, that was the point of the curtain, to separate God from man, it was torn in two. Now God's people are now to boldly approach the throne of grace in the name of Jesus without any human priest as a mediator. Let's go ahead and turn to Leviticus chapter nine. Let's dive in, looking at verse 22. What's going on here is that God has just given all these directions that I just mentioned, and Aaron has followed all the directions. Verse 22 here, this is what it says. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out, they blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the Lord, and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and they fell on their faces. So this text represents a real climax in the book so far. We've had nine long chapters of what to do with dead animals, with oil, with fat, with kidneys, with flanks, with livers, with blood, fire, clean things and unclean things, priestly clothes, the proper days to do it all. There is exactness in all that God commanded. Then, in this amazing display, God shows that He has accepted all of the Israelites' worship. Of course, what's the response of the people? What do they do? They fall on their faces with a loud shout, is what it says. The story doesn't end here, obviously. We know Israel's history is full of these kinds of twists and turns, but go to chapter 10, verses 1 through 3. We'll see another kind of fall if you want to look at it that way. Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. This is chapter 10, verses 1 through 3. I think I said that, but if I didn't. So they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. The fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, this is what the Lord has said, among those who are near me, I will be sanctified, and before all the people, I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. So what does it mean that, what does Moses mean, okay, whenever he was the author, that they offered unauthorized fire? What does that mean? Yes, ma'am? Not according to the law? Yeah, essentially not according to what God commanded, right? That's exactly what they did. Other translations may call it strange fire, profane fire. These are different ways that people get this idea of unauthorized fire, but Africana is exactly right. In short, it's fire and it's worship that God has not commanded. Plain and simple. Aaron's sons have here decided to worship God in their own way. They're seeking to worship God. They're not worshiping Sorry, I'm losing myself. Yeah, they were worshiping God according to the dictates of their own hearts. That's the main concern. Not according to the way that God had instructed. Their worship, like we said, may have been well-intended, could have been, right? But good intentions are not what matters. Nadab and Abihu did not regard God as holy. They did not treat him as distinct. It's likely that they offered some kind of pagan worship. in the Holy of Holies, in the holy place. That was probably something of their sin. They maybe had learned from observing the nations that this is how the God should be worshipped, and they carried that into the worship of Yahweh, which obviously was not a wise decision, right? They did not treat him as distinct, rather they disobeyed and they risked leading all of Israel into disobedience, and were therefore punished. God will defend His name by guarding His holiness. Okay, a few points of application. You know, that's why, you know, we take the regulative principle for worship pretty seriously. We want to worship the Lord based on how He's revealed for us to worship Him, even in the New Covenant. We're not getting creative in what we offer to the Lord as worship. We follow in the pattern that He gives us in Scripture. Another thing I've been thinking about is under the non-Protestant traditions, so Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism, there's a strong emphasis on icon veneration, okay, worshiping icons of various kinds. And this is another thing that when Protestants read this kind of stuff, we think about those expressions and those non-Protestant traditions, and we rightly want to condemn them because we see it as a kind of transgression against these principles that we see in the book of Leviticus. So just a few things for you to think about. Do you all have any questions up to this point about what we looked at? Yes, ma'am. Yeah, is it sin? Is that what you said? Is it sin to think that it's too harsh? Yeah, that God's judgment was harsh? That might sit a little bit uncomfortably with us? Yeah, yeah. I think it's definitely not unusual that that's how we would feel. I think that there's an element of that that's natural. But I think whenever you again think about God's holiness and you're reminded that he is our creator, we are his creation, he gets to dictate to us what he expects of us. And every breath that we take is directed and given by him. So the second that we stop taking a breath, we know that it was the Lord who withheld. And so I think that there's an element that that's understandable. But I think that's where focusing on God's holiness and what he expects really should not make us fearful in a kind of unhealthy way, but fearful in a more reverent way that seeks to want to please him. So that's a good question. Anything else? Yes, sir. No, no. Right. That's right. Yes, I agree. Yep, I agree. Because it's not just, the story doesn't end with the striking down of Nadab in the bayou, right? The story continues and we see God's grace come in and provide a way for the people to be reconciled to Him. So come back next week for that story, because that's what's really critical. Someone over here, I think I heard a peep. I was going to say pretty much the same thing, but the first ten chapters. Yeah. I am holy. Right. I am really holy. Yeah. Believe me, I'm holy. Yeah. Yeah. First ten chapters, and then we see a shift to some other, how do we live with this holy God, right? That's good. All right, so chapters 11 through 15 and 18-27. So on your handout, we're going to deal with 11 through 15. And then we're going to jump down to 18 through 22. So next week, we'll do the Day of Atonement. So we're going a little bit out of order. Don't be thrown off by that. But this is what's going to be called the Holiness Code. You've probably heard of the Holiness Code, then and now, right? So let's move into chapters 11 through 15 in 1827. Sometimes this is called the Holiness Code, and we'll deal with these two sections together. They are the chapters, and maybe you've read them before, about which kinds of food the Israelites can and can't eat, or maybe in some cases not even touch. There are laws concerning ritual cleanliness, childbirth, when someone has leprosy. There are directions about what to do if someone has a bodily discharge. There are even instructions about what to do if a bodily discharge touches a particular piece of pottery or wood. What in the world would be significant about all of this, right? Well, the answer is in chapter 11, verses 44 through 45. This is the first of an oft-recurring statement in the book of Leviticus. So go ahead and turn there with me. We're on the page now that has the little graphic here in your notes, so if you're wanting to jot some things down. So chapter 11, verses 44 through 45. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy. For I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." That idea, that theme is repeated over and over again in the book of Leviticus, which is why it's the main theme for our lesson today. The Israelites are to be holy because God is holy. The reason for all these commands is so that the Israelites can be holy, can be distinct, can be different, an accurate reflection of the God that they represent. This teaching is all over the book of Leviticus, and we would do well to take it seriously. Here's another example. Look at 20 verse 26. 20 verse 26, you shall be holy to me, for I, the Lord, am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. There you hear the explicit setting apart from the other nations, the setting apart. Okay, verses chapter 22, 31 through 32. You shall keep my commandments and do them. I am the Lord. You shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. So does anyone know what it means? Sorry. Does anyone know what it means to profane God's name? What does that mean? What does it mean to profane God's name? Yes, ma'am. To curse him, that's a very perceptive answer. That's good. Any other thoughts? Definitely not wrong. Yes, ma'am. To disobey him. Say again. To disobey him. To disobey him. OK, I think you all are both touching on some things. Looking for maybe one other answer, though. Those are not wrong. It's Sunday school. Everybody's right, right? So lowered is to do things that's that doesn't hallow him, that, yeah, so the way I have it, it means to treat it as common or ordinary, right? Or mundane. It's to treat that which is common, ordinary, or mundane, that which is really special and distinct. So God's name, okay, is special and distinct, and to treat it as common or ordinary or mundane would be what it means to profane it. It's this idea of lowering it. So God's name That is to say, his image and his reputation, that's what his name represents, his image and his reputation, and that is tagged on to the people of Israel. So they can't be a people who take this identification with God lightly or irreverently. To do so would be to what? To profane his name, because his name was attached to them by his saving of them. God is giving them these commands so that in their everyday lives, they'll be reminded that they are a holy nation, a people set apart for the Lord. God has written it into the very culture that wherever they turn, they will be reminded of their distinct status and their call to be holy. Now look at the graphic here. This was something that I added from our textbook. I thought it was helpful. It's called the Holiness Continuum. So you have the Holiness Code, which is really just all the text in Leviticus that lay out all these rules about maintaining holiness. And this little graphic is called the Holiness Continuum. And we'll explain it in just a second. But essentially, God directed the priests to distinguish between the holy and the common. okay, and between the unclean and the clean. So God directs the priest to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the clean and the unclean. Now within the continuum, okay, there's really two categories, and they're represented by those two large words there, holy and common. So within this continuum, everything that was not holy was regarded as common. Now if you look at the common, okay, Everything that was common was either clean or unclean. Does that make sense? So you have wholly common, and then under common, you have the distinction between something being clean or unclean. So under this economy, nothing unclean is at all compatible with that which is holy, whereas there are many things which are clean, which will be set aside for holy use. But nothing unclean. can be utilized in this way. So under this economy, nothing unclean is at all compatible with that which is holy. So tremendous effort is made to distinguish between the two. If a person or a thing becomes unclean, that's that, you see here the pollution taking it into the direction of being unclean, they would have to undergo cleansing to sanctify it again. So figure 4.3, if you're looking at it, just to explain it briefly, you have this continuum, things that are holy, things that are common. Within things that are common, you have things that are clean and unclean, with some of those things being taken into the use of for holy means. We're not talking just about the people that could be used, you know, the priests, but we're talking about utensils, we're talking about bowls, we're talking about tongs, we're talking about any number of things that are just common things. that would be sanctified and made holy for holy use. Now you'll notice on the two extremes, really the main thing I wanted you to notice about this is to persist in uncleanliness was to embrace an explicit kind of death. What would happen if someone became unclean under the people of Israel? What would be the result of that? They'd be cast out, they'd be put out, they'd be sent away until they were made clean again. So they had to undergo these ritual processes to be reconciled to the people of God and being given access to God's presence through the tabernacle once again. What if someone decided to persist in their uncleanliness? What were they embracing essentially? Separation, death. Yeah, I mean, that's really exactly right. They're essentially, you know, you're dead to me, that kind of idea. They're dead to the people of Israel. They have removed themselves. They are not pursuing any kind of reconciliation. Off into the wilderness they will wander. you know, maybe they'll go find a, you know, understanding and compassionate Philistine to take them in, but they're not going to be a part of the people of Israel anymore. They experience a kind of death. So to persist in uncleanliness would be to embrace an explicit type of death outside the camp or outside of the symbolic Eden of the tabernacle. We talked about how the tabernacle really represented a kind of a recapitulation of the Garden of Eden, a place where God dwelt with his people and they were separated from that. So they were separated from God and it would destroy all their other community relationships. Contrast that with a true covenant worshiper who desired God's presence, understood his uncleanliness and impurity, and sought for reconciliation. He was moved away from death toward life-giving holiness. You see this kind of continuum there. So what does the holiness continuum teach us about life and death? Does this teach us anything? Do you see any relevance in this for us under the new covenant? This is probably the most obscure question that I've thought of. So, John? Yes, intensifying. Yep. Mm. OK. Yeah. So kind of looking at this and thinking about our sanctification in light of this, I think that's definitely a way we can think about that. John? Sorry. No, you can't until I remember your name for some reason. Oh my gosh. Life, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. I think that's exactly kind of what I was trying to get at. Thank you, Guy. It did come to me. I was, my mind was wrapped up in holiness and life and forgot your name for a second. But yeah, I think you're exactly right. I mean, you think about holiness, life, death, all these things. I think there's a tremendous amount of relevance for, as we think about this in light of the new covenant. What has Christ, what has he made us through his death? He's made us holy, right? Now we still have to pursue... that sanctification piece that John's talking about, that is an effect of what it means to be made holy, is that we will pursue holiness. But, you know, we've been transferred from the domain of darkness and death to a domain of life and peace. And that was done through Christ, not through us keeping the law, not through us, you know, following all these examples. It was that He kept it. He's the one who did that and purified for Himself a people for all time who would live, truly live. Go ahead and turn to Hebrews chapter 4, and this was the verse that Africana quoted. Hebrews 12, chapter 14. I like this verse because it seems to highlight both aspects of what holiness provides for people, which is a kind of communal There's a communal nature to it, there's a horizontal nature to it, but there's also very much a vertical nature to it. So Hebrews 12, 14, strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. So does holiness matter for the new covenant saint? Doesn't matter. Absolutely it matters. It really does. And even just on a pragmatic level, if you as a Christian, maybe you claim the name of Christ, but you live in just blatant sin, what effect does that have on the church? On the other Christians in your life who know you? Does it have an effect on them? Or are they just, they're not touched by it in any way? Does it have an effect? It absolutely has an effect, okay? It absolutely does. And we even see that in the Levitical code that we just talked about. They had to be removed. I mean, sometimes whole sectors of Israel would be judged because of the sin of some people. But I like this verse, strive for peace with everyone. So there's this communal aspect that's there. And then the writer of Hebrews and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Okay, so there's that vertical dimension coming in. So I just thought that was an important verse for us to consider because holiness does matter for the saint, and there is an element of a vertical, it matters for vertical reasons, okay, the Lord, horizontal reasons with others. Now just to wrap up our time, regarding these ceremonial laws, do we need to obey the specific laws that we looked at today? Do we need to obey those? Hmm? No, that's right. Okay, do we need to pay attention to what we eat and touch and so forth in order to be holy? No. We are not the nation-state of Israel under the old covenant. We are not called to be a political, geographic nation distinct from other nations. All of this was fulfilled in Christ, and these particular laws were fulfilled in Christ in such a way that they no longer govern us. That being said, we are to be a special people, set apart by and for the Lord. The church is called to be holy for the same reasons that Israel was. Israel bore the name of the one who delivered them from Egypt and bondage. And just like them, we proclaim with our lives the glories of the one who has delivered us out of bondage, of sin, and death." Last verse and then we'll be done. 1 Peter 1, 14-16. As obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. What does it say? But as he who called you is holy, so you be holy in all of your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. That's a direct quote from the book of Leviticus. So this is enough for today. Come back next week and we'll spend all of our time studying the most important day in Israel's calendar, the Day of Atonement. For today, I hope that you'll remember that the standard of holiness has not changed for God's people, regardless of where they may live in the story of redemption. To repeat our theme, God is holy and therefore His people must be holy too. Thanks be to God that in Christ, the Holy One, we have forever and finally been made holy on His merit. And we are able to enter the holy place and offer spiritual offerings, right, which are wholly acceptable to God. One piece of homework, then we'll pray. Try to read through the book of Hebrews for next week. And you'll see why if you come back. So read through Hebrews. Let's pray.