Holy God, Holy People Honoring God’s Holiness

1. Holy God, Holy PeopleHonoring God’s Holiness Leviticus 5:1-16; 6:1-7

2. It’s only a scratch… Once you become aware of a problem, how long do you wait before you act on it? What are the consequences of ignoring the problem or delaying action?

3. Honoring God’s Holiness • None of you said that it was a good idea to wait and see if the problem worked itself out. • Yet, sin in our lives can be even more damaging than any broken bone. • So why do most people choose to ignore it? Today’s lesson will deal with what it means to honor God’s holiness by dealing with sin in our lives.

4. Recognize Guilt • Leviticus 5:1 (HCSB) 1 “When someone sins in any of these ways: If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify, he is responsible for his sin. • Leviticus 5:4 (HCSB) 4 Or if someone swears rashly to do what is good or evil—concerning anything a person may speak rashly in an oath—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt in such an instance.

5. Omission vs. Commission • What’s the difference between sins of omission and sins of commission? • Sins of Omission: when we fail to do the thing that we should do. James 4:17 says to us that if anyone knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. • Sins of Commission: when we willingly do the things we shouldn’t do. Both sins make us guilty before God. And if we never recognize our guilt, we will never be able to seek restoration.

6. Seek Restoration • Leviticus 5:5 (HCSB) 5 If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess he has committed that sin. • Leviticus 5:14-16 (HCSB) 14Then the LORD spoke to Moses: 15“If someone offends by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his restitution offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock (based on your assessment of its value in silver shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel) as a restitution offering. 16He must make restitution for his sin regarding any holy thing, adding a fifth of its value to it, and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf with the ram of the restitution offering, and he will be forgiven.

7. The Fist Step: Confess • Once someone was made aware of sin in their life, whether sins of omission or of commission, there was a necessary first step. • That step was confession. • The word translated “confess” in verse 5 (yada) is only translated that way seven times in the Old Testament. • It is much more commonly translated “praise” (46 times). The usual context is public worship, in which worshipers affirm and renew their relationship.

8. The Second Step: Atonement • According to verse 15, once a person was made aware of his unintentional sin, he had to present an unblemished ram from his flock, as well as add a fifth of the value of whatever he misused. • The offender would bring an animal or other acceptable offering to the priest. • As they confessed their sins, they would place their hands on the animal before killing it. • The priest would take the animal’s blood and place it on the altar.

9. Make Amends • Leviticus 6:1-7 (HCSB) 1The LORD spoke to Moses: 2“When someone sins and offends the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard to a deposit, a security, or a robbery; or defrauds his neighbor; 3or finds something lost and lies about it; or swears falsely about any of the sinful things a person may do— 4once he has sinned and acknowledged his guilt—he must return what he stole or defrauded, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost item he found, 5or anything else about which he swore falsely. He must make full restitution for it and add a fifth of its value to it. He is to pay it to its owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt. 6Then he must bring his restitution offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock according to your assessment of its value as a restitution offering to the priest. 7In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”

10. Making Things Right • When we sin against someone else, even unintentionally, we sin against almighty God. • The Lord gave specific instructions for dealing with offenses toward one’s neighbor. When the people offended God by the way they treated others, God instructed them to make amends with those whom they wronged. Are there any areas in your life where you need to make amends with a “neighbor?”

11. Casual Views of Sin • Because the blood of Jesus can “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), believers often take a casual view of sin, thinking all we need to do is pray a prayer and ask forgiveness. While God’s capacity to forgive is unlimited, we must remember that all sin offends Holy God. • Knowing that we have been forgiven by God through Christ doesn’t excuse our sin. It covers it. There is a powerful difference. • One views sin as okay because God has already taken care of it. This is an incorrect view of sin. • The other views sin for the vile reality that it is but is increasingly grateful because God already took care of it.

12. Honoring God’s Holiness • A true understanding of Christ’s sacrifice promotes gratitude and love. • That creates in us a readiness to recognize and confess our sin. • That leads to repentance, • Which by God’s grace, leads to less sin. • It’s how we honor God’s holiness.

13. Holy God, Holy PeopleHonoring God’s Holiness Leviticus 5:1-16; 6:1-7