As the Lord will enable me, I
want to talk to you about things pertaining to peace. Things pertaining
to peace. Not many people know anything
at all about peace. Very few have peace or know where
to obtain peace. Most people in this world live
in constant turmoil and constant uneasiness and constant unrest. Most people in their homes know
nothing about tranquility and peace. At best, most families
just survive and get along. Most individuals know nothing
about peace. Blessed, blessed peace. Most folks are either taking
something to keep them calmed down, or they stay about half
drunk all the time, or they're eased out on some kind of medication
to help them along the way, and they still find peace eluding
them. So let's talk about things pertaining
to peace. Leviticus chapter 3. As we look again at these peace
offerings, I want to have you bear in mind that the word translated
peace offering all the way through the scripture is found in the
plural except one time and that's in the book of Amos. And the
word that is translated peace offerings might have the best
English equivalent given in these words. Things pertaining to peace. Things pertaining to peace. Things from which people get
peace. Things from which we draw peace. Now before we look at
Leviticus chapter 3, let me tell you about a family I read about
some years ago and again just recently. A family of believers
who knew something about the peace of God that I want to preach
to you. John and Betty Stamm were missionaries
in China in the early part of the 1900s. had met at Bible College in the
19, about 1929 or 1930. In 1933, or 1931 rather, Betty
Stamm moved back to China where she had been raised on the mission
field. Her parents were missionaries there with the Chinese Missionary
Society founded by Adirondack Judson. Fourteen months later,
They were married, John joined her on the field, and then the
communist insurrection began. And the soldiers of Mao Tse-tung
captured the town where they were living and ministering.
With their little child, they had just begun a family, just
a baby child named Helen. On the 8th day of December, And
the soldiers captured them, arrested them. They sat and discussed
how the little girl, the little baby, just an infant, Helen,
would be killed. And there was a poor Chinese
farmer who was there just observing these things. And he stepped
forward pleading for that child's life to be spared. And one of
the soldiers, I guess the fellow who was in charge, he said, fine. If you're willing to die for
her, we'll spare her life. and he consented to die for her
and the soldiers murdered him. The next morning they forced
John and Betty Stamm to leave their house, stripped down to
their underwear, they marched them through the streets and
mocked them for a while and after a crowd was formed they were
sentenced to death. There was a Chinese doctor to
whom they had ministered for some time, apparently was a believer,
but he had never confessed Christ publicly, no one knew it. And
he stepped forward to plead for their lives, and the communists
asked him, are you too a Christian? And finally, he openly confessed
the Lord Jesus, and they murdered him. Then John and Betty Stam
were ordered to kneel before those soldiers. and one took
a sword and beheaded John Stanley. As his wife Betty reached to
grab for her husband, she too was beheaded. When Betty's parents
were informed by the China Inland Mission what had happened, they
wrote or sent a telegraph to the mission. This is what they
said. Deeply appreciate your consolation. Sacrifice seems great, but not
too great for him who gave himself for us. Experiencing God's grace,
believe wholeheartedly, Romans 8 28. That's some kind of telegram. That's some kind of telegram.
Betty Stam's parents knew the peace of God and found strength
and comfort in his free grace, in his wise, adorable, and good
providence. They knew no matter what the
circumstances, even in death, even in such a horrid death,
We are more than conquerors through him that loved us. When Betty's
sister Helen, for whom she had named her little girl, wrote
to her bereaved parents, this is what she wrote. Dearest Daddy
and Mother, you don't need to hear me say how much we love
you and are thinking of and praying for you in these days. I have
such a radiant picture of Betty and John standing with their
palms of victory before the throne singing a song of pure joy that
I cannot break loose and cry about it as people expect. Crying
seems to be too petty for such a thing that was so manifestly
in God's hands alone that my heart is very, very sore for
you. It is this peace, the peace of God that passes understanding,
that's set before us in the peace offerings. These peace offerings
in Leviticus chapter 3 were not offerings by which peace was
to be obtained. Peace is obtained by the sin
offering that's described in chapter 4, which represents Christ
Jesus our Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ obtained
peace for us. These peace offerings portrayed
the enjoyment of peace. Peace made by the blood of Christ. Peace with God that believers
obtain by faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. When our Lord Jesus
died in our state at Calvary, He who is our peace obtained
peace for us. When the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts, giving us the knowledge of God's mercy,
love, and grace in Christ, giving us faith in Christ, then we begin
to enjoy the peace of God that our Savior obtained for us by
his sacrifice at Calvary. Now let's look at these things
pertaining to peace from the typology given here in Leviticus
chapter 3. It's this peace offering arising
from our justification. by the finished work of the Lord
Jesus Christ that's pictured in these offerings in Leviticus
chapter three. The peace offerings, I repeat,
portrayed the believer's enjoyment of peace. It is the believer
coming to God with thanksgiving, with thanksgiving to God for
redemption and righteousness and justification and sanctification
and acceptance with God. walking through this world, coming
to God with thanksgiving. Oh God, thank you. For him who
loved me and gave himself for me, who now rules the world for
me for the glory of my God. That's what's portrayed in the
peace offerings. They could be taken, we're told
in this chapter, from the herd, in verses one through five, or
from the flock, verses 6 through 11, or from the Gospels, verses
12 through 17. Let's look at them very simply
in just that way. First, the peace offering might
be an offering taken from the herd, Leviticus 3.1. If his oblation
be a sacrifice of peace offering, something pertaining to peace,
If he offer it of the herd, whether it be a male or female, he shall
offer it without blemish before the Lord. Now the connection
set before us is a direct connection with the burnt offering and the
meat offering. This comes right between them.
The connection is simply this, a justified soul, one who believes
God, one devoted to the Lord Jesus in all things, spontaneously
engages in thanksgiving and in worship as he walks with God.
Believers are men and women who walk with God by faith. Men and women who spontaneously
turn to God. Men and women who spontaneously
seek fellowship with God. Men and women who spontaneously,
I mean by spontaneously, in reaction to God's grace, we walk before
Him and seek His face and seek His will in all things. The redeemed
sinner gladly lifts his heart in praise to God because we've
been given peace by the blood of Christ. Hold your hands here
and look at one example. Psalm 116. Psalm 116 and verse
16. Oh Lord, truly I am thy servant. I am thy servant and the son
of thine handmaid. I don't much act like it. Maybe nobody else knows anything
about it, but I'm your servant. I'm yours. I've given myself
to you. Thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer thee the sacrifice
of thanksgiving. and will call upon the name of
the Lord. I'll offer you the sacrifice
of thanksgiving and I'll call, that is I'll worship Jesus Christ
my Lord and my Redeemer. Now you'll notice back in Leviticus
3, the sacrifice animal for peace offering could either be a male
or a female. When I read that I can't help
asking why. The reason appears to be that
the burnt offering picture atonement, atonement by Christ, the Lamb
of God, the Son of God, our God-man mediator. The peace offering,
however, pictures the result of atonement. The peace offering
pictures peace with God, that which flows to believers from
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. The peace
offering portrays the blessedness of the joy and peace in believing
God. Oh, the blessedness of joy and
peace in believing God. Few people, as I said a moment
ago, know anything at all about this peace. The sacrifice could
either be a male or a female, but it must, like the other sacrifices,
be without blemish. Because the sacrifice represented
the Holy Lamb of God, that one who knew no sin. Though he was
made sin for us, he did no sin, had no sin, and knew no sin.
Only one who is himself perfect could make peace with God and
give us peace. The sinner's substitute must
be himself one worthy of God's acceptance and that's Jesus Christ
our Lord. We are made accepted to God because
we have a sacrifice God has accepted and that sacrifice is himself
the infinite God in our flesh. And the sinner is to come and
bring this peace offering and lay his hands upon the head of
the sacrifice. That's repeated for us throughout
the Old Testament, particularly in Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy. It's just over and over again,
they lay their hands on the head of the sacrifice, representing
these two things. Now, I'll keep telling you this
because it needs to be stressed. First, it points to the fact
that Jesus Christ is our substitute. That one portrayed here is Christ,
our Redeemer. And as our sins were transferred
by God to Him, faith in Christ acknowledges the transfer, and
we confess our sin, trusting Him. And it pictures the believer's
faith in him who was to come. Brother Lindsey and I were talking
just as we were coming out the door a moment ago. These saints
of God in the Old Testament. Now, I recognize that the vast
majority of the Jews in the wilderness didn't know God any more than
Pharaoh knew God. They just went through religious
ceremony. The vast majority perished in
the wilderness. But those who knew God Those
who believed God looked for salvation in God's son, the woman seed
who would come in this world, and they understood that he would
accomplish redemption by the sacrifice of himself. These men
and women come to God and by commandment of God, they're ordered
to lay their hands upon the head of the sacrifice. Thus, continually,
day after day after day after day, year after year after year
after year, They said, Christ is coming, that one by whom we
have peace with God. Peace is found by trusting Him. What a picture. Peace is found, meaning your
life. on the Son of God and nowhere
else. Nowhere else. Nowhere else. Doesn't matter what the circumstance.
Doesn't matter what the difficulty. Doesn't matter what the trial.
Doesn't matter what the headache. Doesn't matter what the loss.
Doesn't matter what the pain. Peace doesn't come by our circumstances. Peace is not attained by our
feelings. Peace can't be found in our experiences
and certainly not in our goodness. Only in Christ. Only in His blood,
only in His righteousness, only in His acceptance with God, only
in His power, only in His promises, only in His goodness, only in
His providence, only in Him, He is our peace. He is our peace. Children of God, in the midst
of all things, in all the days of your life, in all the hours
of every day, in darkness and in light, lean your life on Him. Live with your hands leaning
on the head of God's sacrifice. Look at verse two. And he shall
lay his hand upon the head of his offering and kill it at the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron's sons,
the priests, shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about
it. This is all done at the threshold
of the sanctuary. Because we cannot come across
the threshold of God's sanctuary. We cannot enter the presence
of the Almighty. We cannot approach the Holy One,
except by the blood of Christ that speaks better things than
that of Abel. Abel's blood cried for vengeance
against his brother. But we have come to Mount Zion,
to the blood of Christ, which speaks better things than that
of Abel. The blood of Christ speaks peace. We're justified. And by faith
in Jesus Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus.
By whom also we have access, by faith, and stand in this grace. We stand on this ground. We stand
here completely, absolutely, perfectly justified and accepted
with God. If that doesn't give you peace,
nothing will. Nothing will. Now, those portions
of the animal that were offered for a peace offering were to
be set aside from that which was burnt unto the Lord. These
were considered the richest portions of the animal, and they were
the things nearest to his heart. Look at verse 3. And he shall
offer the sacrifice of the peace offering, an offering made by
fire unto the Lord, the fat that covereth the inwards, and all
the fat that is upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the
fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the call above
the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take. We come to
God not as sinners to be reconciled, but we come to God, we who believe,
as sinners reconciled to God. We stand on an entirely different
ground than anybody else. We come to God as sinners reconciled
to God. We've laid down the weapons of
our warfare against him. We've surrendered to him. We
bow to him. And we come to God as such, sinners
who are completely accepted through the blood of Christ. We come
to hold fellowship with the eternal God, like those before the throne
in heaven. We come to worship God. on his
throne. What can we bring him? We bring him his best. We bring him his best, Jesus
Christ his son. Now there's no other way to come
to God. You come to God not bringing your church baptism, or your
family heritage, or your granddaddy's faith, or your baptism, or your
works, or your resolutions, or your repentances, or even your
faith. You come to God bringing Him, Jesus Christ, His Son. Lord, here I am. No words can express the evil
that's in me. No words can express the corruption
of my depraved, vile heart. Here I am. And I have nothing
to give you except what you give to sinners, your son. Receive
me for Christ's sake. And I want to tell you something,
Bill Rodley, you can't come to God bringing him his son and
be turned away. That can't happen. That can't
happen. And when we come to God, believing
His Son, we bring Him our best. What's that talking about? With
the heart, men believeth unto righteousness. You were just
talking back there with Gov. Martin Baskin, a neighbor, had
a heart transplant, is that correct? That's not the heart we're talking
about. When scripture speaks about believing with the heart,
it's not talking about this thing that pumps blood through your
body. He's talking about that part of man that psychologists
and psychiatrists and doctors haven't quite got figured out
yet. He's talking about the deep seat of human emotion and devotion
and decision and determination, resolute in himself. That's which
is the spring of thought and activity. We come to God and
bring Him the deep, deep, deep commitment and faith
of heart consecrated to Him. We bring Him the rich love of
our hearts. Our very loins were once filled
with pain when sin laid heavy upon us. But now, where we once
knew nothing but pain and turmoil, oh my soul, well do I remember
nothing but pain and turmoil, nothing but just rage. Just rage! Want to kill God,
kill myself, or kill somebody else. Just rage. Where there
was nothing but turmoil. Now the peace of God and the
joy of the Lord reign within. As our Lord Jesus Christ, who
is our peace, offered himself as our substitute to God's holy
law and justice with every depth of affection, with every feeling
of love, with every desire of compassion, so we must worship
him with our hearts, in spirit and in truth. Never fail, look
at verse five, never fail to recognize and give thanks to
God for him who offered himself as an offering made by fire of
a sweet savor unto the Lord. We have peace with God because
Christ our substitute endured the fire of God's wrath, and
when he endured the fire of God's wrath, he extinguished the fire. So God says, fury is not in me. Such a sacrifice as this demands
my heart. Shall not the heart of his love his love for us shall it not
melt our hearts as the fire of God's wrath melted his very soul
for us read verse 5 and Aaron's son shall burn it on the altar
upon the burnt sacrifice which is upon the wood that is on the
fire it is an offering made by fire of a sweet savor unto the
Lord Nothing regarding the worship of God was random, unplanned,
or haphazard in the Mosaic Age. Those who came to worship God
came to worship Him in a certain order, at a certain place, in
a certain way. That's the only way to worship
God. In a certain place, in a certain way, in a certain manner, by
a certain priest, by a certain sacrifice. You could not come
otherwise. Neither shall it be today that
God's people worship him randomly without any care or preparation. If we worship God, we must worship
God after the due order, with care, with diligence. I urge
you, and I urge myself, prepare to come and worship God. Do the
best you can to be certain that you're in a condition mentally,
emotionally, physically, so that you can hear the word. But I
have to work so hard. I have to put other things aside. Nothing more important for you
than at the hour appointed that you hear God speak and worship
him. I used to go to meetings. As
you know, I travel a good bit. And I have over the years, when
I was younger, arrived somewhere and I could, just give me a little
while, I can be ready to preach. But in my old age, I try my best
to get wherever I'm going a day ahead of time. For one specific
reason, I don't want to come to the pulpit tired. God deserves
better. You deserve better. The folks
to whom I preach deserve better. The gospel deserves better. So
we make preparations accordingly. You make preparations accordingly.
Prepare to come here and meet with God and meet with his people
around his throne and worship. What an honor. What a privilege.
That portion of the peace offering to be burnt must be burnt on
the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is
on the altar. Now, there's a distinct reference here to the daily sacrifice,
which typified full atonement by the blood of Christ Jesus.
And this is what all that means. Our daily fellowship and communion
with God, our daily worship, praise, and thanksgiving must
be that which arises fresh to God from a fresh sense of Christ's
sacrifice for us. I keep praying for me and for
you. I pray for you every day. God, flood my heart today, every
moment of the day, with a fresh knowledge of Christ crucified. And these, your children, God,
flood their hearts today, no matter what they face, with a
fresh knowledge every moment of the day of Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. By Him, let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually. Now, second, look at verses 6
through 11. These peace offerings could also
come from among the flock of sheep. Don't fail to notice how
frequently the words without blemish are used in connection
with the offerings. Verse six, and if his offering
be for sacrifice of peace offering unto the Lord, be it of the flock,
a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. Surely that's intended to teach
us that the sacrifices offered to God and accepted by God must
be themselves perfect. It shall be perfect to be accepted. Certainly, it has reference to
Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. He is that one of whom God spoke
from heaven twice. This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. Behold, my servant, in whom is
my delight. And this also refers to all God's
elect in Christ. Oh, how our hearts ought to walk
with joy and peace, believing Christ, in Christ. with Christ,
united to Christ, by Christ, you and I, who are nothing but
sin, corruption, by nature, you and I, who are all vileness,
all evil by nature, in Christ, we are God's delight, God's joy. accepted into beloved so that
the Lord God Almighty looks on us as he looks on his son and
declares that we are without blemish before him. We are his
dove, his holy ones, his undefiled. Now that's not a supposition
or a pretense. That's what God's done for us.
We are accepted in Christ as Christ himself. Oh, God help
you to get hold of this. Nothing can be more unspeakably
delightful to the believing sinner's heart than this. The Lord God
Almighty is satisfied. Totally. Why am I afraid to say this?
Afraid somebody's going to misunderstand this, somebody's going to run
wild with this? God Almighty is totally, totally,
totally satisfied with me. I've never satisfied anything
in my life. God's satisfied with me. Perfectly he's satisfied
with me because I'm one with his son He's satisfied with you
who are gods because he's satisfied with his son. Look at verse 7
If you offer a lamb for his offering then he shall offer it before
the Lord He shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering
and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation and Aaron's
son shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the
altar. The lamb was just as fully accepted
as the calf. But that's not right. A calf's
bigger, a calf's got more meat, a calf's worth more money. How
can that be? The acceptance of the sacrifice
was not determined by the value of the sacrifice. It was determined
by the value of him represented in the sacrifice. It's representing
Christ Jesus the Lord. So the lamb of the poorer man
is accepted just as the calf of the richer man. Atonement
was not made by these animals. Atonement was made by that one
to whom the animals pointed, Jesus Christ our Lord, the Lamb
of God, who took away the sins of his people, all their sins
he took from them. This one is that one who by his
blood has opened up the gates of heaven and opened for us a
new and living way. By whose blood we draw near to
God with hearts sprinkled with the blood of Christ in the full
assurance of faith. With an assured hope of acceptance
with God. Entering in into that within
the veil being accepted of God. Now, look at verses 9 and 10. And he shall offer of the sacrifice
of the peace offerings an offering made by fire unto the Lord. The
fat thereof and the whole rump it shall he take off hard by
the backbone. Take it off clean down just as
close as you can get to the backbone. And the fat that covereth the
inwards and all the fat that is upon the inwards and the two
kidneys, and the fat that's upon them, which is by the flanks,
and the call above the liver, which the kidneys, with the kidneys,
it shall be taken away. And nobody seems to know what
the call was, including me. Probably refers to the gallbladder,
but nobody knows. Something is mentioned here that's
not mentioned with regard to the calf in verse three and four. The rump. He's talking about
that rump to be taken off hard by the backbone. Get all of it.
The rump was considered the richest portion of the land. The teaching
is plain enough. Only God's best is accepted of
him. God gave us his best. He surrendered all to be my Savior. And God requires from us and
deserves from us only the best. The best of everything. The best
of everything. Read the third chapter of Malachi.
and see how God reproves those who bring something less than
the best. David said, God forbid, I will not offer to the Lord
that which does cost me nothing. Won't do that. God Deserves and
we ought to be determined to give him the best of our affections
So that nothing rivals him and no one rivals him the best of
our time the best of our labors the best of our gifts the best
of our money the best of our Opportunities give everything
best to him. He deserves the best who gave
his all for us look at verse 11 and the priest shall burn
it upon the altar. It is the food of the offering
made by fire unto the Lord. There's a different expression
used here. Instead of the sacrifice being called a sweet savor, it's
called the food of the offering made by fire to the Lord. It
represents both the holy Lord God and the believing sinner
feeding upon and finding satisfaction in the sacrifice of Christ. God
is satisfied with him, and believers find satisfaction in him. The
more we learn by his grace to trust him, The more we're taught
by his grace to trust him, the more we feed upon him, the greater
our enjoyment of peace with God shall be. Look at verses 12 through
17. These peace offerings, thirdly,
might be taken as a sacrifice from among the goats. And if
his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the
Lord. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill
it before the tabernacle of the congregation. And the sons of
Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about, sprinkle
the blood thereof upon the altar round about. The goat here is
set before us like the turtle dove in chapter one. It's the
sacrifice of the poor. The goat represents one out of
the flock or the herd of the goats. One is taken. One. All the others are safe. They're okay. What a picture
of substitution. One man suffered for the people. All for whom he suffered must
go free. Christ, our substitute, would
made sin for us. And he being made sin for us,
suffered the wrath of God in our room, in our stead, in our
place, for us. He suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, because there's no other way for him to bring
us to God. Thank God for him who loved us
and gave himself for us. Verse 14. And he shall offer
thereof of his offering, even an offering made by fire unto
the Lord, the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat
that is upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat
that's upon them, which is by the flanks, and the call above
the liver, with the kidneys it shall he take away. and the priest
shall burn them upon the altar. It is the food of the offering
made by fire for a sweet savor. All the fat is the Lord's. The sacrifice is fully accepted
for the believing sinner. And so, too, our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, is accepted, fully
accepted for God's elect. And we're accepted in Him. Verse 17, it shall be a perpetual
statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings
that ye eat neither fat nor blood. All the fat is the Lord's. Again, representing the best. God teach me. graciously force
me, make me willing always to give only my best to you. This statute wasn't for one generation
or two. It was for not just the time
they were at the tabernacle or at the temple, but throughout
the generations of God's people on this earth, the statutes given
to be observed in all our dwellings. Obviously, we no longer observe
the rituals of the Mosaic law. Christ is the end of the law.
We don't observe holy days or holy places of any kind. But
we worship God in exactly the same way as is prescribed here
in Leviticus 3.17. We worship God not just on Sunday
morning, Sunday night, and Tuesday night, not just when we come
to the house of God, not just when we bow at our tables two
or three times a day and offer thanks for the food we're about
to receive, not just when we observe a time of worship for
ourselves in our homes or privately. No, no, no, no. Believers are
men and women under obligation, under constraint, under the obligation
of mercy and love and grace experienced, under the constraint of mercy,
love and grace experienced, to worship God in the totality of
our lives, walking with Him by faith in Christ Jesus. That's
what it is to live for God. That's what it is to worship
God. That's what it is to have peace. The peace of God that
passeth all understanding. The peace of God nobody on this
earth has a clue about. They can't figure it out. They can't understand it. Nobody except folks who enjoy
it. The blessed joy and peace of
believing. Peace that flows from the blood
of Jesus Christ, God's son, our sacrifice. Believe him and the peace of
God that passeth understanding shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Believe it. Believe it. And God says that the peace of
God that passeth understanding shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Spirit of God, give us grace
then to believe our Savior and walk in peace. Amen.