Leviticus Briefing 4

the book of Leviticus shows us the way God's peope worship Him, and as the result of this worship, they live a holy life. according to Leviticus, to woship God is not just to bow down, and to recognise how awesome and mighty God is. but to worship God is to contact God, and to enjoy Christ together with God. this is the worship spoken of in John 4:24 " God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness." the real worship of God is to contact God in our spirit, and to enjoy Christ as the reality with God. in the five basic offerings, there will be certain portion, for God, for the priests, and for the offerers. the picture shows us a mutual enjoyment, God and His people enjoy some common portion together, and this common portion is Christ, portrayed in Leviticus. while the priests prepare and present the offerings, they need to do in a certain way ordained by God. this requires them to have living contact with God. so the main aspect of offerings is to have contact with God. 

in the offerings, there are three kinds of things Israel people could offer: bull, sheep or goat, turtledove. this does not mean that Christ has different sizes. they are different because our experience of Christ is different. we can only offer Christ to the degree we have experienced Christ. so, if we experience Christ more, the sacrifice we can offer is also bigger in size. like the apostle Paul, who has so mucn experience of Christ, he may offer a huge bull to God. however, the important thing is that, regardless what we offer to God, pegion or bull, they are all sweet and dear to God. God appreciate whatever we offer to Him, because this is the Christ we have experienced. 

in order for the children of Israel to have something to bring to God, they need to labor on the land to produce some crops. otherwise, they will have to go to Jerusalem with empty hands. for us NT believers today, we also need to contact God, to read the Bible, to pray, so as for us to have something to offer to God when the time comes. we need to experience Christ in our daily living, so we will have Christ within our being to offer to God, to enjoy with God. "What we bring to the presence of God becomes a gift, a present. If we would have a present for God, we need to labor on Christ and struggle, strive, and fight for Christ. To labor on Christ as the good land is to till the ground, to sow the seed, to water the seed, and to take care of the crop. This is to work, to toil, diligently as a farmer." (from life study msg 4)

Leviticus 1:6 "He shall skin the burnt offering." "The skinning of the burnt offering signifies Christ’s willingness to let the outward expression of His virtues be stripped. In the four Gospels we see that Christ was defamed, stripped of the beauty of His virtues. " (from life study msg 4). none of us like to be skinned, to be peeled off. even, by the Lord's grace, we experience a bit skinning, what we want to do most is to put the skin back on. I remeber, last year, I heard some evil report, oh maybe not so serious, just some not so pleasant word of me in some sisters. that time I was so angry, and felt so sorry for myself. you know, I am serving on campus, and how dare these sisters are speaking such things of me. should you not be grateful to my serving???? in this message, brother Lee talked about the apostle Paul that the spreading of evil report concerning Paul was the evidence that Paul was God's servant (2 Corinthians 6:3-13). i am not saying that this is also true for me. but I feel like, this is an opportunity that I may experience a little in the skinning of Christ, so that I will be able to offer a bit to God. although, of course I don't like such lesson, such experience, this is the way that I may gain more Christ. what I really apprieciate is this prayer brother Lee mentioned in the message. "Lord, I have experienced the very skinning You experienced. I follow You and accept the skinning, the stripping, the defaming, the evil reports, just as You did. Lord, what I have experienced is actually Your experience of being skinned.” 

the result of the burnt offering is to generate the fragrance, which ascends to God, for God's satisfaction. Christ, as the burnt offering is fully, absolute for God, and satisfies God. In His living, the Lord always laid aside His personal interest, He never satisfied Himself, everything He did was just for God, and He was absolute for God, whose living satisfies God. but for us, we are very much for ouselves, only interested in ourselves. what shall we do? we can lay our hands on Christ, identify ourselves with Christ. we can pray, "Lord, You are the unique One absolute for God. today, I want to experience You as the burnt offering, and live the same kind of life You lived on the earth."

for more detailed reading, please see life study of Leviticus message 4

to listen to this program, please see life study of Leviticus broadcast program 4