The Sin Offerings: A Path to Holiness and Forgiveness

2. What Does the Lord Want Us To Think? What The Sin Offerings Have For Us Today

3. Romans 3:23 1 John 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

4. Hebrews 12:14 Holiness Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord

5. The Lord Led Them Toward Holiness For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 • Rescued Israel from Egypt • Led them to the Sea to teach faith • Brought to Sinai to show them glory • Built tabernacle to dwell among them • Delivered Leviticus as path to holiness Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 1 Corinthians 10:11

6. The Lord Led Them Toward Holiness • Rescued Israel from Egypt • Led them to the Sea to teach faith • Brought to Sinai to show them glory • Built tabernacle to dwell among them • Delivered Leviticus as path to holiness • Gave them burnt offering for atonement • Gave them grain offering for thanks • Gave them peace offering for fellowship

7. Consider the sin offering Two occasions for this offering Lev. 4:2 (unintentional sin) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, …

8. Consider the sin offering Two occasions for this offering Lev. 5:2-5 (ceremonial cleansing) if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean wild animal or a carcass of unclean livestock …and it is hidden from him …or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be …and it is hidden from him, … 4 or if anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, …5 when he realizes his guilt in any of these and confesses the sin he has committed,  …he shall bring to the Lord a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering.

9. Consider the sin offering • This is a reminder to live a purified life • Brought even “small” sins to their attention • Impresses us/them with the fact that God cares about how we live

10. Consider the sin offering / For the Priests, congregation 4:1-12, for the Priests; 4:13-21, for the congregation • Unblemished bull • Sprinkle blood 7x’s in front of the veil • Anoint horns of altar of incense with blood • Pour remainder of blood at base of altar of burnt offering • Offer the Lord’s portion as a burnt offering • Burn head, skin, remainder outside camp

11. Consider the sin offering / For a leader of the people 4:22-26, for a leader of the people • Unblemished male goat • Anoint horns of altar of burn offering with blood • Pour remainder of blood at base of altar of burnt offering • Offer the Lord’s portion as a burnt offering • Priests eat the rest in a holy place, 6:30

12. Consider the sin offering / For the common people 4:27ff, for the common people • A female goat, lamb, two birds, omer of flour w/out oil • Anoint horns of altar of burn offering with blood • Pour remainder of blood at base of altar of burnt offering • Offer the Lord’s portion as a burnt offering • Priests eat the rest in a holy place

13. What is this “unintentional sin”? 27 “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. Numbers 15:27-29 • Unintentional = “makes a mistake” • One law for native or for stranger

14. What is this “unintentional sin”? But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.” Numbers 15:30-31 • Contrasted with acting with a “high hand” • One law for native or for stranger

15. What is this “unintentional sin”? If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. I John 5:16-17 • All wrongdoing is sin, but there is a difference • The difference is a penitent heart

16. What is this “unintentional sin”? • Heb. 10:19ff, confidence, assurance, hope • Heb. 10: 26-27, For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. • No confidence, assurance, or hope when we sin willfully or deliberately

17. What is this “unintentional sin”? Psalm 19:12-13, Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13  Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. • Hidden faults (unintentional mistakes) • versus • Presumptuous sins

18. What is here for us to learn? Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 1 Corinthians 10:11 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

19. What is here for us to learn? Hope and comfort are available when sin is unintentional Categories of sin speak to our treatment of others Frequency of offerings speak to frequency of sin Leviticus 6:9- “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. Hebrews 7:27- He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

20. What is here for us to learn? Hope and comfort are available when sin is unintentional Categories of sin speak to our treatment of others Frequency of offerings speak to frequency of sin Openness of the offerings speaks to commonality of sin Gravity of the sacrifices speak to seriousness of all sin Bodies of the sacrifices taken outside the camp, burned

21. What is here for us to learn? We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. Hebrews 13:10-13

22. What is here for us to learn? Hope and comfort are available when sin is unintentional Categories of sin speak to our treatment of others Frequency of offerings speak to frequency of sin Openness of the offerings speaks to commonality of sin Gravity of the sacrifices speak to seriousness of all sin Bodies of the sacrifices taken outside the camp, burned Sin offering was continual, expensive, open, and serious