Christ in all the scriptures Leviticus 1

 Christ in all the scriptures

The burnt (ascending) offering-part 1   Leviticus 1

All for His glory!

FACT: All the offerings are different aspects of the one offering of Christ, and therefore relevant to believers today.

This is the first and greatest of the offerings.   All the other offerings were placed on the permanent burnt offering, which was never extinguished.  The key verse is 1v9, where "the priest burnt all on the altar".  This distinguishes it from the other offerings. all of which were shared with the priests or the worshippers, but the burnt offering was all for God.  This is foundational to the one offering of Christ, and it is important we grasp this for our proper understanding.  We are too often self-centred in the matter of our salvation in Christ, whereas scripture invites us to become God-centred.  We sing "It was for me, yes all for me, oh love of God so rich so free...".  However hymnology is not always theology, and here is an example.  The sacrifice of Christ at the cross was primarily for God, and we are blessed as a result.   The restoration of the glory of God, in the sacrifice of Christ, has opened the Divine treasure house of benefits for us.  In all other offerings, there are benefits Godward and manward, but this is all for the glory of God, and this is the primary consideration.  It has pleased the Spirit of God to place the burnt offering first in God's estimate, He wants us to understand that this is the highest and noblest aspect of the death of Christ.  Each of the offerings presents a different aspect of the one offering of Christ, this is reflected in the gospel records.  The gospel of Matthew reflects the trespass offering; Mark, the sin offering; Luke the peace offering; John the burnt offering.  The grain offering is seen across all four gospels, being the perfection of Christ's life, as the food offering that enhanced the flame of  all the offerings. 

John's gospel is replete with the fact that the sacrifice of Christ was primarily for the glory of God.  Consider the following texts and observations:

John 10v17 "Therefore doth my Father love me for I lay down my life that I might take it again".  It was devotion to the Father that caused Him to lay down His life.

John 12v27-28  "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.  Father glorify thy name.  Then there came a voice from heaven, saying I have both glorified it and will glorify it again".   He suffered the trauma of Calvary to glorify the Father's name.

John 13v31-32 "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him".

John 13v13  "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son..."  This extends beyond the cross, into the church age, when those whom He has saved will make requests in His name for the glory of the Father.

John 14v31  "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.  Arise let us go hence".  From the upper room He went to Gethsemane, then Gabbatha, then Golgotha, in obedience to, and for love of the Father.  The WORLD MUST KNOW He went to the cross for the honour of His Father!

John 17v1  "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father the hour is come; glorify thy Son that thy Son also may glorify thee".

John 17v4  "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do".

Without question, this is the highest view of the sacrifice of Christ; this is the burnt offering, that He was all on the altar for God.  All else flows from this!

There are a number of notable omissions in John's gospel which enhance this view.  John was closer to Christ than most other disciples; he was present at the transfiguration, at Gethsemane, and he alone of the twelve, stood by the cross, so his knowledge of the facts was unsurpassed.  Yet John omits the sweat and tears in Gethsemane, or the flight of the angels to sustain Christ in His agony in the garden.  He makes no mention of the hours of darkness, or the declaration of forgiveness on guilty Israel, or even the repentance of one of the malefactors crucified with Him.  It is not that he did not know these things.  It is they did not fit his presentation of Christ, which is, that it was all for the glory of God.  If only we could grasp this perspective, it would raise our worship to higher levels, for this is the ultimate view of the death of Christ.  Through this we become God-centred rather than self-centred, which is where we should be. 

We live in days of self-glorification, and glorification of men.. This spirit has entered the church in a way that is unbecoming.  Songs are sung that are more about the singer than the One about whom they are singing; sermons are being preached which are about men, rather than the God whose word they preach.  This error was present in the church at Corinth, and is prevalent today.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians, as he writes to us today-"He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord", 1v31; "let no man glory in men"-3v21; "your glorying is not good (they were even glorying about a casual attitude to sin in their midst)-5v6; "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."-10v31.  We have as our great example, our Lord Jesus, who did everything, spoke every word, thought every thought, all to the glory of God.

Next time we will consider the chapter from the practical view as follows:   

1v1-2  Invitation to worship

1v3-4  Identification with the sacrifice

1v5-6  Intelligence in worship

1v7-8  Intensity in worship