Sermon #23 Leviticus Sermons
Title: The
Efficacy of the Blood
Text: Leviticus
8:14-15 (Leviticus 8:1-36)
Subject: The
Blood and the Anointing Oil
Date: Sunday
Morning -- 2001
Tape # W-75a
Reading: Psalm
69:1-36
Introduction:
During the Civil
War a farmer was drafted for service. I do not know anything about him, except
that he was a farmer and his name was Blake.
When he was notified that he must go into
the army, Blake He was terribly concerned about leaving his family. His wife was
already dead. If something should happen to him, there would be no one to
support and take care of his children in his absence.
The day before he was to leave for the
army, his neighbor Charlie Durham came to visit him. "Blake," he
said, "I've been thinking. You're needed here at home, so I've decided to
go in your place."
Blake was speechless. The offer seemed too
good to be true. He grasped the hand of the young man and praised God for this
man who was willing to serve as his substitute. Charlie went to the front lines
and performed his duties nobly. But he was shot and killed in his first battle.
When Blake heard the news, he immediately
saddled his horse and rode out to the battlefield. After searching for some
time, he found the body of his friend. He arranged to have it buried in the
churchyard near the spot where they had often stopped to talk after the
services. On a piece of marble he carved an inscription with his own hands. It
was roughly done, but with every blow of the hammer on the chisel tears fell
from his eyes.
He placed the marker on the grave of his
devoted substitute. The inscription was brief; but there was never an
inscription carved on a tombstone that was more honoring to the man of whom it
spoke or more heartfelt by the man who did the engraving than this one. It
reads: “HE DIED FOR ME.”
There is little that is more moving than the willing sacrifice
of one man for another. I am moved by it, though I never knew either man. But
there is a Man, a Man who is God almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for
me. Imagine that! – The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me!
I hope never to get over the wonder of it. I want to tell you
about him today. I will do so by showing you a picture of him, a picture that
was drawn 2000 years before he came into the world.
The title of my message today is -- The Efficacy of the Blood. Our text will be Leviticus 8:14-15.
(Leviticus
8:14-15) And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his
sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering. 15 And
he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns
of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured
the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation
upon it.
Then…
(Leviticus
8:30) And Moses took of the anointing
oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon
Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons'
garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons,
and his sons' garments with him.
Proposition: All were anointed with the anointing oil for whom the blood of the
sin-offering was shed. – All are born of God for whom blood atonement has been
made.
Divisions: I want to show you these
two things in this message:
1. The
Prominence of the Blood, and
2. The
Efficacy of the Blood.
I. The Prominence of the Blood
Christ’s sin-atoning blood is set before us prominently throughout the Scriptures. It is typically unfolded in great detail in this eighth chapter of Leviticus. Throughout this chapter, the thing constantly set before us is the necessity and the efficacy of our Savior’s blood for atonement, acceptance, and reconciliation with God. On that great day, when Aaron and his sons were consecrated as priests unto God, it was the blood of the sacrifice that was constantly before the eyes of the people. Look at verses 18-19.
1st The Bullock of the Sin-Offering
(Leviticus
8:14-15) And he brought the bullock for
the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the
bullock for the sin offering. 15 And he slew it; and Moses took
the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his
finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the
altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.
2nd The Ram for the Burnt-offering
(Leviticus
8:18-19) And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons
laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 19 And he killed it; and
Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
3rd The Ram of Consecration
(Leviticus
8:22-24) And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and
his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23 And he slew it;
and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of
Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe
of his right foot. 24 And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the
blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right
hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the
blood upon the altar round about.
It should come as no surprise
to read what Paul said about this in Hebrews 9.
Hebrews 9:19-22
(Hebrews
9:19-22) For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to
the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet
wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20 Saying,
This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the
vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things are by the law purged
with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
What does this tell us?
A. Acceptance By Blood
Sinners are accepted of God only by and because of Christ’s shed blood.
(Ephesians
1:7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace;
(1
Peter 1:18-21) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from
the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
We cannot come to, worship, or find acceptance with the holy Lord God except by the sin-atoning blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Only a
bloodstained ear can hear God’s Word.
·
Only a
bloodstained hand can do God’s work.
·
Only a
bloodstained foot can walk in the courts of the Lord's house.
We cannot
come to God except by the blood of Christ; but blessed be his holy name, we can
come to God by that blood!
(Hebrews
10:19-21) Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated
for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an
high priest over the house of God.
Throughout
this chapter we see the value, the efficacy, the power, and the wide
application of the blood. "Almost all things are by the law purged with
blood" (Heb. 9:22).
B. Assurance by the Blood
As the whole of our acceptance with God is the blood of his darling Son
shed at Calvary as our Substitute, so the whole of our assurance before God is
the blood.
Our Lord
Jesus Christ has by his own blood entered into heaven itself. Yonder, on the
throne of the Majesty on high, he sits. He sits upon that throne in heaven by
the merit and virtue of all that he accomplished on the cross.
1.
Our
Redeemer’s presence in heaven on the throne of grace declares the worth and
efficacy of his atoning blood.
(Romans
8:34) Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
(Hebrews
1:3) Who being the brightness of his
glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the
word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high;
(Hebrews
10:12-14) But this man, after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For
by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
2.
The Lord
Jesus sits upon his throne for us, as our High Priest.
He is there for us. Blessed assurance! “He ever liveth.” He
never changes! We are in him! “And as he is so are we in this world!”
3.
Christ,
as our Substitute and High Priest, and all who are saved by the free grace of
God in him, are accepted upon the same ground.[1]
The Lord Jesus presents us to the Father in his own eternal perfection.
And the Father delights in us as thus presented in his perfection because we
are in him! Yes, God our Father delights in us even as he delights in the One
who presents us.
This
identification of Christ with us and us with him is typically set forth in
"Aaron and his sons" laying their hands upon the head of each
of the sacrifices (vv. 14, 18, 22 – The Bullock of the Sin Offering – The Ram
of the Burnt Offering – The Ram of Consecration).
They
all stood before God in the value of the same sacrifice. Whether it was the "bullock for the
sin-offering," "the ram for the burnt- offering," or
"the ram of consecration," they jointly laid their hands on
the head of the sacrifice.
Aaron was first.
Don’t miss this. – Aaron and Aaron alone was anointed before the blood
was shed. He was robed in the gorgeous garments of his priestly office and
anointed with the holy oil before his sons were either clothed or anointed. –
Why?
The reason
should be obvious. Aaron, when spoken of by himself, typifies Christ in his own
peerless excellence and dignity. As such he stands alone. – Our Lord Jesus
Christ appeared on this earth in all the peerless perfection of his own
personal worth. Before ever he shed his blood as our sin-atoning Substitute, he
was anointed by the Holy Ghost. The Father poured out the Spirit upon him
without measure (John 3). – Christ is The Anointed One!
·
From Eternity.
·
At His Baptism.
Still, there
is the fullest possible identification between Aaron and his sons in the
anointing that followed the blood-shedding (v. 30).
(Leviticus
8:30) And Moses took of the anointing
oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon
Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons'
garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons,
and his sons' garments with him.
So, too,
there is the fullest possible identification between Christ and his people
(Eph. 5:30; Heb. 2:11). The Sanctifier and those who are sanctified are one. We
are one with Christ.
(Hebrews
2:11) For both he that sanctifieth and
they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not
ashamed to call them brethren.
Christ
and his people are distinct, and yet one. We are personally distinct.
Yet spiritually, representatively, we are one. The personal distinctness
enhances the value of the spiritual oneness.
II. The Efficacy of the
Blood
As the blood of Christ was prominent in all the sacrifices and services
of the typical Levitical priesthood, so too was the efficacy of our Savior’s
blood.
Before I show you this fact
as it is portrayed in the picture before us, let me make some plain, emphatic
statements. I hope you will hear me and hear me well. This is the point of
Satan’s opposition. This is the point at which self-serving prophets of deceit
most quickly compromise the gospel. -- When I speak of the efficacy of
Christ’s blood, I mean just this. – The blood of Christ has effectually
accomplished all that our Savior intended to accomplish by shedding it.
·
He put
away our sins! -- All
the sins of all God’s elect! -- All the sins of every sinner who believes on
him! -- All the sins of every trembling soul who comes to God by him!
·
He
obtained eternal redemption for all his people! – That is to say, he got, he secured, he
purchased the eternal salvation of all for whom he died at Calvary.
·
Every
sinner for whom Christ shed his blood at Calvary shall, at God’s appointed time
of love, be given the blessed anointing of the Holy Spirit. – Every chosen, redeemed sinner shall, at
God’s appointed time, be born again by the almighty, irresistible power and
grace of God the Holy Spirit. – Wherever the blood flows the Spirit goes.
·
All for
whom Christ died shall be saved by the power and grace of God the Holy Spirit. -- The efficacy of Christ’s blood is seen
in anointing that follows it. – All for whom blood was shed were anointed with
the anointing oil.
Now, let’s look at this anointing of Aaron and his sons for just a
minute or two (vv. 12 and 30).
(Leviticus
8:12) And he poured of the anointing
oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
(Leviticus
8:30) And Moses took of the anointing
oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon
Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons'
garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons,
and his sons' garments with him.
A. Between the anointing of Aaron and the anointing of his sons,
several things took place.
·
The blood is
shed.
·
The fat
consumed on the altar.
·
The breast
waved before the Lord.
· Only then do we read -- “And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him” (v. 30).
In other words, perfect atonement has been made. – He who died at
Calvary under the wrath of God as our Substitute has ascended to God in the
power of his resurrection. – Immanuel has taken his place in heaven by the
merit of his blood. – But he has taken his place in heaven and has taken
possession of heaven as a man for us, for his people! -- The sweet savor of
Christ’s blood sacrifice perpetually ascends to and is accepted by the holy
Lord God, our heavenly Father! -- All this comes between the anointing of
the Head and the anointing of the members.
1.
First, we see Aaron alone (vv. 8-12).
(Leviticus
8:8-12) And he put the breastplate upon
him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. 9 And he
put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his
forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded
Moses. 10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle
and all that was therein, and sanctified them. 11 And he
sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all
his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. 12 And he
poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify
him.
Here we have Aaron presented alone. The
anointing oil is poured upon his head. The whole assembly was permitted to see
God’s high-priest gloriously arrayed, crowned and anointed. -- As each garment
was put on him, as each act was performed, as each ceremony was enacted, we
read, “as the Lord commanded.”
Everything was done by the express revelation of God, by the singular authority
of the Word of God. There was nothing vague, nothing arbitrary, nothing
imaginative. Everything was divinely ordained and meticulously performed. All
the needs of the congregation were fully met, and met in such a way as that it
could be said, "This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done."
2.
Aaron’s being anointed alone shows us a special picture of our Savior.
Without the shedding of blood, there could be no union between Christ
and his people. The Son of God could never be joined to us, and we could never
be joined to him, except upon the ground of justice satisfied.
Do you see the picture? Aaron’s sons could
not join him in the priesthood until blood was shed. And there could be no
union between Christ and his people except upon the ground of his death and
resurrection.
Without shedding of blood there was no
remission. Our Lord’s righteous life could avail us nothing, his work was not
done, his sacrifice was not complete, until his life’s blood was gone! We could
never be united with God in Christ until his blood had been accepted in the
holy place! So, too, without shedding of blood Aaron and his sons could not be
anointed together.
(Leviticus 8:30) "And
Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and
sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his
sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons,
and his sons' garments with him."
3.
The anointing oil could not be applied to Aaron’s sons until the blood
of the sin-offering, the burnt-offering, and the ram of consecration had been
shed and the sacrifice presented in the holy place before the Lord.
Why were not Aaron's sons anointed with him at verse 12? The answer is
plain. -- The blood had not been shed.
– Only when atonement has been accomplished can grace be bestowed! –
Look at verses 10-11.
(Leviticus
8:10-11) And Moses took the anointing
oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and
sanctified them. 11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times,
and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to
sanctify them.
Aaron stands here alone. Clothed and arrayed as
high priest, with his sons at his side, all eyes are fixed on him. Here is a
beautiful and blessed type of Christ with his sons upon the Mount of
Transfiguration. – Though we could not be united to him until the blood was
shed, yet, in the mind and purpose of God the blood of the Lamb was shed before
the foundation of the world, and we were accepted in him from eternity.
I can almost hear the Lord God saying, "Consider
the Apostle and High Priest of your profession!"—This is God’s word to
every believing sinner. – “Ye are complete in him!” Why should any look
for acceptance anywhere else?
All that can give a sinner peace is in this
great High Priest! We cannot find God reconciled anywhere but in him. It is
only in Immanuel and all that he is that our souls’ needs are met.
Moses has gone into the tabernacle. He is
busy there. Already all things therein had been sprinkled with blood. The blood
had cleansed them. Now the oil sets them apart for holy purposes, solemnly set
apart to the Lord. None can ever claim the use of them again. They must be used
by no one and for no one, but God himself, used for nothing but the service of
his will, used for no other purpose but the purpose of his glory. That is what
is meant by Moses’ sanctifying the vessels of the tabernacle.
Here, let us learn what it is to be
sanctified. It is to be set apart for God alone. This sheds some light on
John 17:19.
(John
17:19) And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Our Savior speaks of himself like a temple-vessel, or like the Holiest of All, when set apart to be used for the Lord's purposes. Just as the sanctuary and all its vessels were to be used only to show us the sinner's way to God, so Christ, of his own freewill, presented himself to be used by the Father entirely for the purpose of making a way for sinners to come to God. – Glorious Gospel! The use for which the incarnate Son of God was set apart was to make a way for sinners to come to God!
The Father used him in this way coming to us.
We are to use him in exactly the same way in coming to the Father. Christ is a
Savior set apart for the use of sinners! – No angel can ever use him for that
purpose. – He is not a Savior for angels (Heb. 2:16). But the guiltiest soul
out of hell may come to God by Christ Jesus! – He is the sinner’s Savior! – The
Lord Jesus Christ is set apart for the unlimited use of needy sinners!
Only Aaron wore the crown on
his turban reading, “Holiness to the
Lord.” His sons had to look to him for everything. So it is with us.
We must look to Christ alone for everything before God. – We come to him,
worship him, believe on him, pray to him, and offer sacrifice to him in the
name of him who is our Aaron!
4.
Aaron and his sons were shut up in the tabernacle for seven days.
(Leviticus 8:31-35) "And
Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, 'Boil the flesh at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation; and there eat it with the bread that is in the
basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat
it. And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with
fire. And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation
in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end; for seven days
shall he consecrate you. As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded
to do, to make an atonement for you. Therefore shall ye abide at the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the
charge of the Lord, that ye die not; for so I am commanded.”
Here we see Christ and his
people feeding together upon the results of his accomplished atonement. Aaron and his sons, having
been anointed together on the ground of the blood shed, are here shut in within
the precincts of the tabernacle for "seven days."
This is a picture of Christ and his people
now. We are shut in with God, waiting for the manifestation of the glory of
God. -- Blessed position! -- Blessed portion! -- Blessed hope!
·
Feasting
Upon the Same Sacrifice
·
Eating
from the Same Basket of Consecrations
·
Abiding
in the Same Place
·
Keeping
the Same Charge – “Holiness to the
Lord!”
·
Preserved
upon the Same Ground – “That ye die not!”
·
For
Seven Days
We are one with Christ, shut in with God,
waiting for the day of glory, and, while waiting for the glory to come, feeding
upon the riches of God’s abounding, free grace in Christ! -- Oh, for a capacity
to take these things in, a heart to enjoy them! May God give us a deeper sense
of their magnitude! May he grant us grace that our hearts might be turned away
from all that pertains to this present evil world, so that we may feed upon the
contents of "the basket of consecrations," which is our proper
food as priests in the sanctuary of God, until the eighth day!
·
The
eighth day is the day that has not yet been.
·
The
eighth day is the day of the new creation.
·
The
eighth day is of the manifestation of the glory of God (chapter 9).
(Revelation
1:7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
·
Blessed
be God, until that day we are shut in with Christ where he is in the holy
place! – “That ye die not!”
·
Shut
up with Christ in the holy place, we cannot perish because here we are secured
by the Word of God, -- the blood of God’s Son, -- and the anointing of God’s
Spirit!
“Blessed assurance! Jesus is
mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of
glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchased
of God,
Born of His Spirit, I’m
washed in his blood!”
[1] Before Aaron could make atonement for the people, he had to first make atonement for his own sibs (Lev. 16:6-14). So, too, our Lord Jesus Christ made atonement for himself (for the sins of his people that were made to be his own – 2 Cor. 5:21; Ps. 40:12; 69:5, 9, 19). – He entered into and took possession of heaven as our Mediator upon the same ground as we do.