WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.540 chapter 19 and we'll read again at the beginning. Leviticus 19 00:00:06.540 --> 00:00:13.900 and we're looking at the first four verses. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:17.420 speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:23.480 you shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:29.280 and his father and you shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols or 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:35.700 make for yourselves any gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God. 00:00:38.760 --> 00:00:48.020 I'm sure it's true that the book of Leviticus is one that we don't attend to as often as we should 00:00:48.020 --> 00:00:55.439 or as often as we do with other books of the Bible. It's probably one of the least read books 00:00:55.439 --> 00:01:03.699 of the Bible and not one that we would be ourselves inclined to actually go towards most of the time. 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:09.579 And we can appreciate why that is because the nature of the book is one that has a lot of 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:17.159 ritual in it, a lot of rules and regulations given to Israel, certain laws, certain things to do with 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:24.619 the way in which God had arranged their lives as his people in this world. But one of the reasons that 00:01:24.619 --> 00:01:32.140 even Christians don't find it easy to or a natural thing they do as Christians to go to the book of 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:36.679 Leviticus is that wrongly we may have the impression that there isn't much of Jesus in it, 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:43.620 that there isn't much of Christ in the book of Leviticus. Therefore, we can look at it as certain 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:50.320 regulations and laws that God gave to Israel, but well, where is Jesus? Where is the Lord? Where 00:01:50.320 --> 00:01:57.600 is salvation in the book of Leviticus? But it need not be so, and it should not be so, because I hope 00:01:57.600 --> 00:02:04.340 even from this study this evening that we'll see that actually there is no book in the Old Testament 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:12.700 in which you find as much of Jesus as you do in the book of Leviticus, because it has to do with 00:02:12.699 --> 00:02:21.459 the sacrifices, the rituals in terms of relationship with God that God gave to Israel for him to dwell 00:02:21.459 --> 00:02:30.319 amongst them, for them to have access to him, and for him to make an atonement for that possibility 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:39.280 to take place. There are three big themes in the book of Leviticus, and all I'm going to do this 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:44.719 evening is to look at is to look at these in relation to the passage, especially the first part of the 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:54.099 passage, you shall be holy for I, the Lord, your God, am holy. And the three big themes in Leviticus are 00:02:54.099 --> 00:03:02.840 that this holy God dwells in the midst of his people. Secondly, that this holy God requires his 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:10.840 people to be holy, and thirdly, that God has made a provision for both of these matters, 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:17.960 a provision to enable him to dwell in the midst of his people, a provision to actually 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:28.219 make it sure for us that we can be holy people. And that's really, in a sense, that's the essence of the 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:36.139 book of Leviticus. A holy God dwelling among his people, a holy God requiring holiness of his people, 00:03:36.539 --> 00:03:45.819 holy lives, and a holy God providing an atonement to make his dwelling and our holiness not just possible, 00:03:45.979 --> 00:03:52.939 but as God administers his salvation to make it something that will undoubtedly be achieved. 00:03:52.939 --> 00:03:59.639 Let's look at these three in turn. First of all, looking at this one here, the holy God dwelling 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:06.139 in the midst of his people. Now, the holiness of God, which is mentioned here just in the space of one 00:04:06.139 --> 00:04:11.639 verse, is really something that runs through the whole book of Leviticus. And in fact, you could say 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:17.939 the holiness of God is actually something that runs through the whole of the Bible. In many respects, 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:24.240 that's the starting point for us when we think about God, when we think about a relationship with God, 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:29.199 when we think about what we must be in the presence of God and in the presence of the world. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:37.759 Holiness is absolutely essential for ourselves as a matter that God requires, but holiness, 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:46.959 first and foremost, is what God himself is marked by. I am the Lord your God. 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:56.599 You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, am holy. And really, we can't begin to understand any of the 00:04:56.599 --> 00:05:02.599 other aspects of our relationship with God, of the salvation that he has provided for us, 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:08.159 of the requirement that he has of us being holy. We cannot really begin to understand anything of 00:05:08.159 --> 00:05:16.259 that unless you begin with the holiness of God himself. Now, we know that holiness and what he requires 00:05:16.259 --> 00:05:25.639 of us is essentially being set apart for God, being set apart or devoted to God. And that's why you find 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:33.240 holy, the word holy, the adjective holy describing not just people, but objects in the Old Testament. 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:39.719 The temple had to be holy. The vessels used in the sanctuary had to be holy. They had to be set apart for 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:47.960 use by God, for God exclusively in his worship by the people. So they're being set apart. They're being 00:05:47.960 --> 00:05:55.140 made distinct by that was an aspect of holiness. They were set apart. They were different in that sense 00:05:55.140 --> 00:06:04.580 in their use of it. Now, when you think about God, God is set apart eternally from everything else. 00:06:04.579 --> 00:06:16.419 God is uniquely holy. His holiness is not something given to him, just the way he gives holiness to us. 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:24.139 Holiness is essential to God's very being. It's impossible to think of God as he's revealed in the 00:06:24.139 --> 00:06:32.159 Bible as other than holy or to think of God without holiness. Without that unique distinctness, 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:38.840 holiness, this set apart, what some people would call, theologians might call, the otherness of God. 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:47.900 The otherness of God in terms of him being eternal in his being and set apart in that unique way eternally 00:06:47.900 --> 00:06:56.860 from everything else. He is holy in that sense. And related to that is holiness in the sense of being 00:06:56.860 --> 00:07:09.199 perfect in everything else. Holiness, holiness, moral purity, spiritual perfection, all of those things apply to God 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:18.840 as the one set apart from everyone else and everything else as the holy God. And the holiness of God is 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:23.939 something that runs through everything, every single aspect of our relationship with him. 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:33.679 You know, it's a mark of, it's a mark of grace. It's a mark of being in a right relationship with God, 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:38.159 that you see the holiness of God as something beautiful. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:43.820 Because it doesn't come to us naturally, it doesn't, to think about holiness, to think about 00:07:43.820 --> 00:07:50.440 this otherness of God, to think about moral purity, to think about something that is so entirely pure 00:07:50.440 --> 00:07:57.220 and consistently pure. We tend to think of holiness in terms of it's something that really stands there 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:05.680 almost stiffly, if you like. But there is nothing more beautiful than holiness once we begin to 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:12.860 understand something of what it's about. And although for many people, thinking about God as the holy God 00:08:12.860 --> 00:08:18.879 is something that they think of in terms of distance from him, something that repels them, something that 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:23.439 they really don't want to come close to at all, something that they don't find attractive. 00:08:24.899 --> 00:08:30.980 Of course, there is an awesomeness to the holiness of God, of course there is, but that doesn't make it 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:36.399 attractive. And the more God is at work in your heart, and the more you think of what you need to 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:40.920 be like, and I need to be like, and what God requires of us, and what God has provided for us, 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:45.560 and the more you think of Jesus, and the more you think of what's revealed in Jesus, and the descriptions 00:08:45.560 --> 00:08:52.379 of Jesus in the Bible, especially in the Gospels. Then you see, you begin to think of holiness as 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:59.740 something really to be admired, something to be loved, something to be cherished. Because not only does it 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:07.159 mark God as to who he is and what he's like, but it has to mark us as well in the likeness of God. 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:17.659 That holiness of God, as you see it, is really how you come to see, well, you come to see everything 00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:22.960 else in relation to it. For example, if you think about what is sin? 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:33.580 Well, sin, as the catechism puts it, is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God. 00:09:34.519 --> 00:09:39.440 In other words, sin immediately makes you think of what is entirely opposite to God. 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:46.960 Holiness is sinlessness. Sinfulness is the absence of holiness. 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:57.220 And you kind of believe in or appreciate sin, except as you appreciate something of the holiness of God. 00:09:57.280 --> 00:10:01.740 Now, I'm saying this knowing full well that the holiness of God and God in his holiness 00:10:01.740 --> 00:10:07.160 is beyond our complete comprehension. You cannot understand all of it, neither can I. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:13.820 You can't really get into the very essence of it so as to be able even to describe it. 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:19.320 But you appreciate it. You love it because that's what God is like. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:28.580 And the same when you see the Bible's account of the death of Jesus. 00:10:30.700 --> 00:10:33.480 Why did Jesus have to die that death of the cross? 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:38.920 Well, of course, the answer to that, you could say, is to provide salvation for us. 00:10:38.940 --> 00:10:43.140 Yes, but why did he have to die? What was it that sent him to the cross? 00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:51.080 What was it on God's part that required or demanded that this son of God himself in his perfect, 00:10:51.379 --> 00:10:55.840 his own perfect moral purity should die the death of the cross? 00:10:57.059 --> 00:11:03.199 Well, it's because we could not possibly be reconciled to this holy God 00:11:03.199 --> 00:11:09.879 without God's own provision and a provision that dealt with his holy demands. 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:12.820 See, everything about him is holy. 00:11:13.580 --> 00:11:16.759 All his requirements are holy. All his acts are holy. 00:11:17.659 --> 00:11:20.860 Everything that he does is marked by holiness. 00:11:22.059 --> 00:11:27.399 And that's why he's saying here, you shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy. 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:30.959 And God in the midst of his people. 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:37.159 And interesting, when you go to chapter 26, for example, you can see that more specific chapter 26. 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:38.679 And at verse 11. 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:46.379 Here is where God is saying, 00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:51.939 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 00:11:52.439 --> 00:11:57.659 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:04.419 I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you should not be their slaves. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:09.879 And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:15.240 But especially that first part, I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:20.519 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 00:12:21.980 --> 00:12:31.899 I will not be inclined towards you with anything of hostility or anger or wrath or abhorrence. 00:12:31.899 --> 00:12:41.500 And that's a strange thing for a God who is so holy that he cannot bear to look upon sin without burning in indignant anger towards it. 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:48.379 And as we'll see, a provision has been made so that God would dwell in the midst of his people. 00:12:49.079 --> 00:12:53.059 And that provision is by God himself through sacrifice. 00:12:53.059 --> 00:13:04.939 But that is really our greatest privilege, friends, that we can actually have God dwelling in our midst and not actually be dealt with as we deserve to be dealt with. 00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:15.979 And that makes it obvious that there has to be a certain provision by God to enable the holy God to dwell in our midst. 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:27.420 It's interesting that the arrangements, the arrangement they had for the tabernacle in the Old Testament, whenever they camped anywhere, the tabernacle was central. 00:13:27.860 --> 00:13:32.279 That's where the sacrifices, the worship and so on was carried out. 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:39.379 But the tabernacle, as it was in the midst of the people, the tents of the people were arranged around that tabernacle. 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:43.940 And God gave specific directions as to how they were to keep that. 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:45.080 Why was that? 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:50.379 Why couldn't they just pitch their tents somewhere near without really that sort of arrangement? 00:13:50.620 --> 00:13:53.040 Well, because there itself was an indication. 00:13:53.700 --> 00:14:05.160 As you walked around the camp of Israel and all their tents, you could see them arranged in a circular fashion around this one tent, this sanctuary, this place where God dwelt. 00:14:05.520 --> 00:14:14.340 Where God himself had set in the midst of the tabernacle, that which indicated his presence above the mercy seat. 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:20.379 The arrangement was such that it taught them, God is in our midst. 00:14:20.379 --> 00:14:25.679 And God is in our midst by way of the provision he's made in sacrifice. 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:31.779 As that, of course, represented the sacrifice of Christ that was to come. 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:37.039 So there is the holy God dwelling in the midst of his people. 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:43.439 And all the way through Leviticus, as you go through and read the book of Leviticus, that's something that again and again comes through. 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:50.019 Not just that he's the holy God, but he's the holy God who's chosen to dwell in the midst of his people. 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:53.659 Tonight we are gathered here. 00:14:53.659 --> 00:14:55.879 We cannot see God. 00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:10.340 But we know that through the provision he's made in Jesus Christ and the way that he has come to provide an atonement, to meet our needs and to meet his demands, that God dwells in our midst. 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:13.199 Why does God take up residence in your own heart? 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:18.860 How is it that God lives in your life, in your person, in your very being, in your heart? 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:26.879 Because as the holy God, he has made provision towards that in Christ. 00:15:27.560 --> 00:15:30.400 Otherwise, you and I couldn't have God in our midst. 00:15:31.140 --> 00:15:33.060 But here's one of the great truths of the Bible. 00:15:33.059 --> 00:15:37.339 God dwells in the midst of his people. 00:15:38.199 --> 00:15:43.919 And he does so as chapter 26 reminded us, I will not abhor you. 00:15:44.979 --> 00:15:49.119 I will not treat you any other way but in my love and mercy. 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.179 Secondly, the holy God requires his people to be holy. 00:15:54.299 --> 00:15:56.199 Now, you see, this is what he's saying in verse 2. 00:15:56.199 --> 00:16:02.539 Speak to all the congregation and say to them, you shall be holy for I, the Lord, your God, am holy. 00:16:03.059 --> 00:16:07.500 They are to be like that holy God. 00:16:07.979 --> 00:16:11.239 They are to be holy because he is holy. 00:16:12.599 --> 00:16:17.139 And that's really reason enough for us, isn't it, that we should follow holiness of life, 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:23.539 that we should seek daily to put sin behind us, something regretfully that I and you confess we don't do 00:16:24.059 --> 00:16:30.819 as much as we should with a keenness to actually put it behind us once and for all. 00:16:30.820 --> 00:16:33.980 But this is what he says to us. 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:36.680 You shall be holy because I am holy. 00:16:37.780 --> 00:16:44.660 And everything that was given by way of serving God in the sanctuary was to be marked by holiness. 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:46.400 Holiness with the animals. 00:16:46.640 --> 00:16:47.680 Holiness with the priests. 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:50.140 Holiness with the vessels of the sanctuary. 00:16:50.139 --> 00:16:53.819 Holiness with the holy God. 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:54.539 Holiness with the Holy God. 00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:55.439 Holiness with the holy God. 00:16:55.439 --> 00:16:56.080 Holiness with the holy God. 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:56.639 Holiness with the holy God. 00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:00.419 Because it was for the use of their worship of this holy God. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:03.159 And that's true, therefore. 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:05.819 Inwardly and outwardly. 00:17:05.819 --> 00:17:08.859 He required them and it requires us to be holy. 00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:16.179 Because holiness is not something that just is a mere external formal thing. 00:17:17.379 --> 00:17:29.839 You find, as you well know, certain people of a religious bent saying that the likes of the Dalai Lama or the Pope are holy people. 00:17:29.979 --> 00:17:35.740 Because what they see is someone that outwardly has the appearance of being a holy man. 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:39.740 Of course, a holy man, you find that in other religions as well. 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:44.640 People that are eminently religious in the way that that religion is followed through. 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:48.700 But holiness really begins inwardly. 00:17:49.660 --> 00:17:51.640 Holiness begins with being born again. 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:55.980 Holiness begins with being renewed in the image of Christ. 00:17:56.740 --> 00:18:04.599 Holiness begins with that work of God in our hearts through his Holy Spirit, by which we come to love him and to love him for his holiness. 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:07.039 And by which we want to be like him. 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:12.959 That's the root of holiness in our experience, in our own persons. 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:25.719 And you can see there in verses 9 to 18, as we read through it, that God's dealings with his people in mercy and in truth and in justice and in love. 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:30.539 It's all part of how they understood him to be their holy God. 00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:35.039 Because all of these things are holy as far as God is concerned. 00:18:35.259 --> 00:18:38.279 When he deals with us in mercy, that mercy is holy. 00:18:38.600 --> 00:18:39.400 It is pure. 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:40.180 It is clean. 00:18:40.579 --> 00:18:42.019 There's no corruption about it. 00:18:42.259 --> 00:18:44.100 There's nothing about it that's untrue. 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:49.039 And it's the same with his truth and his justice and his love. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:50.980 It is holy. 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:51.680 They are holy. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:54.960 They are marks of who God is and what he's like. 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:06.600 And five times throughout this passage, verses 1 to 18, you find him insisting, I am the Lord. 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:16.019 In other words, when you think of mercy, when you think of truth, when you think of justice, when you think of love, you are thinking of the holiness of God. 00:19:16.560 --> 00:19:19.160 You are thinking that these are marked by holiness. 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:26.140 How far short we come as human beings to holiness of life. 00:19:27.700 --> 00:19:29.800 We don't need to go outside of ourselves. 00:19:30.860 --> 00:19:37.860 But when you look at society and when you look at our political leaders, even the last few days have shown you, 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:46.439 it's as far removed from holiness and from truth and from integrity sometimes as you could get. 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:50.579 Holiness marks the Lord's people. 00:19:50.740 --> 00:19:53.959 You shall be holy for I, the Lord, am holy. 00:19:53.960 --> 00:20:00.620 And of course, what separates us from God, what makes us unholy, is our sin. 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.480 And our sin is not just something that we do outwardly. 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:08.579 It's not just our acts, our sinful doings. 00:20:09.380 --> 00:20:15.680 Our sin is something that marks us inwardly in our hearts, our very being, in our fallenness. 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:20.700 That's why David, in Psalm 51, prayed his prayer of repentance. 00:20:21.380 --> 00:20:22.820 And he began with the inside. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:26.200 Lord, create in me a clean heart. 00:20:26.860 --> 00:20:27.920 I want to be holy. 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:29.400 I have sinned against you. 00:20:29.620 --> 00:20:30.620 I've done wrong. 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:34.100 At the beginning of that Psalm, that is what he says. 00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:36.460 Lord, I have done this. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:37.560 Against you. 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:39.080 Against you only. 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:40.500 I have sinned. 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:41.859 Be merciful to me. 00:20:42.139 --> 00:20:43.759 Create in me a clean heart. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:48.799 And isn't that what leaves you tonight saying, 00:20:49.199 --> 00:20:52.619 Lord, make me holy because I need to be like you. 00:20:52.679 --> 00:20:53.839 I want to be like you. 00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:59.279 I want to deal with this sin because this sin that I still find in my life, 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:01.159 this wretched heart of mine, 00:21:01.439 --> 00:21:05.119 even though I acknowledge you have come and made yourself a home there, 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:06.559 it's still not pure. 00:21:06.659 --> 00:21:07.679 It's not as it should be. 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:09.640 Lord, I want it to be purer than it is. 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:11.820 Create in me a clean heart. 00:21:12.460 --> 00:21:13.880 Where does that desire come from? 00:21:14.140 --> 00:21:16.240 Where does that element of repentance come from? 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:19.140 Comes from your acknowledgement that God is holy. 00:21:19.360 --> 00:21:23.620 From your realization that the holiness of God is such a beautiful thing 00:21:23.620 --> 00:21:27.740 that you need to be like that in the beauty of holiness for yourself. 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:33.480 And that can only come about through dealing with the problem of sin. 00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:36.519 And as you go through the book of Leviticus, 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:42.480 you'll find so many times that certain things are called unclean. 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:48.180 Certain categories of human disease, for example, 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:51.160 or other things are spoken of as unclean. 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:54.900 And they're unclean because God regards them as polluted. 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:59.839 It cannot come into his presence until something is done to clean them, 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:03.259 to make them clean, to make them pure, to make them holy. 00:22:04.299 --> 00:22:08.899 And that's really how God comes to live in the midst of his people. 00:22:09.659 --> 00:22:11.679 The uncleanness has to be dealt with. 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:16.059 And it has to be dealt with, first of all, by God objectively. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:18.240 Before anything starts in our hearts, 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:22.480 something else has to take place to deal with the problem of sin. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:24.319 And that's the third point. 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:27.599 A holy God provides an atonement, 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:30.240 an atonement through sacrifice, 00:22:30.700 --> 00:22:33.920 that enables him to dwell in the midst of his people, 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:37.420 that enables his people to live holy lives. 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:38.620 And of course, 00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:42.140 the book of Leviticus is very much a book 00:22:42.140 --> 00:22:45.120 that deals with the different kinds of sacrifices 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:49.099 that God required of the people of Israel in those times. 00:22:49.439 --> 00:22:51.019 They were all required, 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:55.399 but all pointed forward to the great sacrifice of Jesus 00:22:55.399 --> 00:22:58.379 and the death that he died on the cross. 00:22:59.179 --> 00:23:01.039 And what is it that's going to deal with sin? 00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:04.819 It's what God himself has designed to deal with sin. 00:23:05.239 --> 00:23:09.399 What is it that's going to remove God's hostility against sin? 00:23:09.859 --> 00:23:11.019 Well, again, it's the same thing. 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:11.939 It's God's provision. 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:13.539 And all these sacrifices, 00:23:13.539 --> 00:23:17.779 especially the sin offering that's described in parts of Leviticus, 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:19.539 the sin offering especially, 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.279 is most directly applicable to sin and dealing with sin, 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:26.920 to dealing with this great problem 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:30.220 that causes the rift between us and God. 00:23:32.379 --> 00:23:36.519 Now, that, of course, is not a very popular thing to say today, 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:41.240 because out in that world, out there, 00:23:41.339 --> 00:23:43.359 there isn't really much of an acknowledgement 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:45.639 that sin is sin or that sin is serious 00:23:45.639 --> 00:23:48.399 or that sin is what the Bible describes it to be. 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:52.299 But if you take it as we do, 00:23:52.379 --> 00:23:55.419 that this is God's word and God's view of human life, 00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:59.159 then this provision that God has made for us 00:23:59.159 --> 00:24:01.839 really shows the gravity of sin, 00:24:02.199 --> 00:24:03.719 the enormity of sin, 00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:05.279 the seriousness of sin. 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:05.920 And after all, 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:10.220 why would someone like the sinless son of God 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:12.119 die the death of the cross 00:24:12.119 --> 00:24:15.720 if sin were anything other than of the utmost seriousness 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:20.599 and had not caused this rupture between human beings and God? 00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:25.039 And that's what Jesus came to deal with, 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:27.719 to reconcile us to God, 00:24:28.059 --> 00:24:30.199 to deal with that great divide, 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:32.219 that sin that caused our sin, 00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:33.139 our human sin, 00:24:33.399 --> 00:24:34.359 your sin and mine. 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:39.859 And Leviticus really has the most detailed provisions 00:24:39.859 --> 00:24:41.319 and descriptions of that 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:43.559 pretty much anywhere in the Old Testament. 00:24:44.879 --> 00:24:47.519 And that's why you find so much in it 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:50.599 about sacrifices and the high priest 00:24:50.599 --> 00:24:54.240 and the rituals associated with approaching God. 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:56.779 And the equivalent, if you like, 00:24:56.799 --> 00:24:58.680 in the New Testament is the book of Hebrews. 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:03.740 You might say that Hebrews is the companion book 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:06.220 to Leviticus in the Old Testament. 00:25:06.819 --> 00:25:08.700 There are so many likenesses there 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:10.039 because Leviticus deals with, 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:14.900 Hebrews deals pretty much with the same main topics as that, 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:17.339 offering high priest sacrifices, 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:19.819 ransom, shedding of blood, 00:25:20.339 --> 00:25:22.559 approaching God through sacrifice, all of that. 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:26.659 All of that is tied up with the wonderful explanations 00:25:26.659 --> 00:25:28.859 or provisions made in Leviticus. 00:25:29.779 --> 00:25:32.599 And as you come to Hebrews, 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:34.700 what you find then, of course, 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:38.799 is that actually Jesus is himself everything. 00:25:40.159 --> 00:25:41.259 He is the high priest, 00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:44.679 but he's the sacrifice as well. 00:25:45.379 --> 00:25:46.359 He is the offering. 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:48.679 He is the atonement. 00:25:49.079 --> 00:25:50.519 He is the atoning sacrifice. 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:53.000 He is the ransom for our sins. 00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:55.519 He's the means by which God comes 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:57.039 to make provision, 00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:59.599 to reconcile us to himself. 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:03.639 And you might say that 00:26:03.639 --> 00:26:06.279 it applies to Jesus 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:11.200 as much as any other book in the Old Testament. 00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:14.140 Because there in Leviticus, 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:17.819 you find Jesus in the holiness of God, 00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:21.220 making provision of atonement for sinful people, 00:26:22.120 --> 00:26:23.880 enabling God to dwell amongst them, 00:26:24.340 --> 00:26:27.759 enabling them to follow through with holiness of life. 00:26:28.980 --> 00:26:31.539 Well, that's one of the arguments, too, 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:33.340 that we find in the book of, 00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:36.019 for the book of Psalms and our use of the Psalms. 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:41.400 And whatever we think of using other ways 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:42.700 by which we praise God, 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:43.859 other forms of praise, 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:46.259 undoubtedly the book of Psalms 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:52.700 is our major main body 00:26:52.700 --> 00:26:55.160 of songs and psalms 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:57.980 and praise items by which we praise God. 00:26:57.980 --> 00:27:00.099 And it's very wrong, 00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:01.519 although you sometimes hear that, 00:27:01.900 --> 00:27:04.700 people saying an argument 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:06.940 against just using the book of Psalms 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:09.319 or adding to the book of Psalms. 00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:11.299 And I'm not saying you can't do that at all, 00:27:11.380 --> 00:27:13.140 but what I'm saying is this, 00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:17.880 the Psalms are actually full of Jesus. 00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:20.539 I'm not saying you'll find his name 00:27:20.539 --> 00:27:23.019 just written all over the Psalms. 00:27:23.019 --> 00:27:25.139 But they speak of sacrifice. 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:27.279 They speak of relationship with God. 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:29.299 They speak of God making atonement. 00:27:29.619 --> 00:27:30.559 They speak of forgiveness. 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:31.559 They think of God. 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:34.339 They speak of God actually dealing with us, 00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:35.619 not as we deserve us. 00:27:35.940 --> 00:27:37.559 Psalm 103 puts it, 00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:39.079 like a father pities his children, 00:27:39.400 --> 00:27:41.259 so the Lord pities them that fear him. 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:43.240 He remembers that we are dust. 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:45.839 He knows our frame. 00:27:47.220 --> 00:27:49.160 But he made provision for us. 00:27:49.160 --> 00:27:52.340 Everywhere in the book of Psalms 00:27:52.340 --> 00:27:54.180 is marked somewhere or other. 00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:56.120 If we look carefully enough, 00:27:56.820 --> 00:27:58.600 you will find the fingerprint of Jesus. 00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:01.040 You will find the footprints of Jesus. 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:02.640 You will find the image of Jesus. 00:28:03.040 --> 00:28:05.220 You will find the life of Jesus. 00:28:05.360 --> 00:28:06.640 You'll find the death of Jesus. 00:28:06.920 --> 00:28:08.720 You'll find the resurrection of Jesus. 00:28:10.140 --> 00:28:11.320 He has ascended up on high, 00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:14.279 led captivity captive, Psalm 16, 68. 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:18.960 And the same argument goes for the book of Leviticus. 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:23.860 In that certain way that you find sacrifice 00:28:23.860 --> 00:28:26.380 and approaching God 00:28:26.380 --> 00:28:28.160 and God dwelling in the midst of his people 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:30.860 and God providing an atoning sacrifice, 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:32.759 that's why we're saying 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:34.759 there is no book in the Old Testament 00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:37.220 that has more about Jesus 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:39.580 than the book of Leviticus. 00:28:39.820 --> 00:28:42.420 I know you'll find prophecies 00:28:42.420 --> 00:28:44.160 and then the prophets such as Isaiah, 00:28:44.560 --> 00:28:45.380 Isaiah 53, 00:28:45.380 --> 00:28:48.160 which obviously is in great detail 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.760 a description of Jesus 00:28:49.760 --> 00:28:52.080 and Jesus as the mediator of his people. 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:54.200 But you take everything in the book of Leviticus 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:55.520 to do with holiness 00:28:55.520 --> 00:28:56.800 and approaching God 00:28:56.800 --> 00:28:58.800 and God dwelling in the midst of his people 00:28:58.800 --> 00:29:00.760 and his people being a holy people 00:29:00.760 --> 00:29:02.500 and sacrifice and the high priest 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:03.960 and the role of the high priest 00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:05.400 and the taking away of sin 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:06.760 on the day of atonement, 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:08.060 all of these things and more. 00:29:09.060 --> 00:29:10.660 Well, you can see Jesus in that. 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:13.580 And that's why it's so profitable 00:29:13.580 --> 00:29:16.060 to go to the book of Leviticus 00:29:16.060 --> 00:29:17.100 looking for him 00:29:17.100 --> 00:29:18.720 and finding him 00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:20.320 and loving him 00:29:20.320 --> 00:29:22.340 and seeing him 00:29:22.340 --> 00:29:24.360 as God's provision 00:29:24.360 --> 00:29:26.940 for lost sinners like you and I. 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:29.220 God's 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:31.380 this holy God dwelling 00:29:31.380 --> 00:29:33.320 in the midst of his people 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:35.379 and this holy God 00:29:35.379 --> 00:29:37.599 requiring his people to be holy 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:39.659 and this holy God 00:29:39.659 --> 00:29:41.379 providing atonement 00:29:41.379 --> 00:29:44.019 to enable both of these 00:29:44.019 --> 00:29:45.519 to be achieved 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:47.399 as only he himself 00:29:47.399 --> 00:29:48.720 could do. 00:29:49.419 --> 00:29:50.619 He blessed to us these readings 00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:52.599 and thoughts on his word. 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:53.139 Let's pray. 00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:57.819 Lord, our gracious God, 00:29:57.980 --> 00:29:59.799 we give thanks that you are holy, 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:01.700 that your holiness 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:03.180 is uncompromised, 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:04.960 that your holiness 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:06.279 is not a barrier 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:07.079 to your living 00:30:07.079 --> 00:30:07.980 amongst your people, 00:30:08.740 --> 00:30:10.159 for you have made provision 00:30:10.159 --> 00:30:12.339 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:15.200 Well, we do thank you, Lord, 00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:17.220 that we know the reality 00:30:17.220 --> 00:30:18.019 of these things 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:19.259 in a measure for ourselves. 00:30:20.220 --> 00:30:21.879 And we pray that you'd help us 00:30:21.879 --> 00:30:23.419 to appreciate 00:30:23.419 --> 00:30:24.259 and admire 00:30:24.259 --> 00:30:25.680 and love your holiness, 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:28.200 to love everything about you 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:30.299 that makes you so distinct 00:30:30.299 --> 00:30:31.980 and so set 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:32.920 so far above 00:30:32.920 --> 00:30:34.460 what we are. 00:30:35.460 --> 00:30:36.559 We thank you, O Lord, 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:37.519 that holiness 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:39.660 marks all that you do, 00:30:40.299 --> 00:30:41.500 that everything you do 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.460 is in perfection, 00:30:43.620 --> 00:30:44.500 that there is nothing 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:45.180 amiss 00:30:45.180 --> 00:30:46.299 in any of your work, 00:30:47.080 --> 00:30:47.860 and that there is 00:30:47.860 --> 00:30:49.019 no inconsistency 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:50.240 with the way 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:51.120 that you carry out 00:30:51.120 --> 00:30:52.180 your acts of mercy 00:30:52.180 --> 00:30:53.460 and of grace 00:30:53.460 --> 00:30:54.240 and of judgment, 00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:56.580 that even the very judgment 00:30:56.579 --> 00:30:57.319 of sin 00:30:57.319 --> 00:30:58.899 and the very judgment 00:30:58.899 --> 00:30:59.960 that will take place 00:30:59.960 --> 00:31:01.119 at the end of the world 00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:03.179 is a holy judgment, 00:31:03.879 --> 00:31:04.519 the judgment 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:05.559 of a holy God. 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:06.939 O Lord, 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:07.699 we thank you 00:31:07.699 --> 00:31:09.139 that your holiness 00:31:09.139 --> 00:31:11.299 is held out before us. 00:31:12.139 --> 00:31:12.559 Help us, 00:31:12.639 --> 00:31:12.879 we pray, 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:13.500 to love you 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:14.099 for all 00:31:14.099 --> 00:31:15.240 that your holiness 00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:17.019 means to your people. 00:31:17.839 --> 00:31:18.319 And help us 00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.019 to be holy. 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:20.159 Help us, 00:31:20.220 --> 00:31:20.939 as we already heard 00:31:20.939 --> 00:31:21.399 in prayer, 00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:22.899 to come before you 00:31:22.899 --> 00:31:23.699 with that burden, 00:31:23.879 --> 00:31:24.659 to be more and more 00:31:24.660 --> 00:31:25.540 like our Lord, 00:31:26.340 --> 00:31:27.040 to turn away 00:31:27.040 --> 00:31:27.720 from sin, 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:29.500 to leave the things 00:31:29.500 --> 00:31:30.740 that we find 00:31:30.740 --> 00:31:31.560 so naturally 00:31:31.560 --> 00:31:32.880 clinging to us 00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:34.040 and drawing our attention 00:31:34.040 --> 00:31:35.460 and drawing us 00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:37.040 into that way 00:31:37.040 --> 00:31:37.540 of life 00:31:37.540 --> 00:31:38.140 that would seek 00:31:38.140 --> 00:31:39.380 to be very different 00:31:39.380 --> 00:31:40.400 to what you require. 00:31:41.320 --> 00:31:42.300 We pray tonight 00:31:42.300 --> 00:31:43.019 for our world. 00:31:43.820 --> 00:31:44.160 Lord, 00:31:44.200 --> 00:31:45.040 we know that the world 00:31:45.040 --> 00:31:45.880 lies in sin, 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:48.120 for you pronounced 00:31:48.120 --> 00:31:49.160 your curse over it, 00:31:49.620 --> 00:31:50.420 and we know 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:51.180 that your word 00:31:51.180 --> 00:31:52.019 teaches us 00:31:52.019 --> 00:31:54.079 that by the sin 00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:54.779 of humans, 00:31:55.579 --> 00:31:57.039 of our first parents 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:57.639 especially, 00:31:58.460 --> 00:31:59.839 so death passed 00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:00.599 upon all 00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:02.139 for all sinned. 00:32:02.900 --> 00:32:03.379 Be merciful 00:32:03.379 --> 00:32:04.359 to this world, 00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:04.879 O Lord. 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:06.440 There is so much 00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:07.019 in it, Lord, 00:32:07.079 --> 00:32:08.160 that we bring before you 00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:10.000 that is so unlike you. 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:11.859 And we pray 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:12.420 that you would 00:32:12.420 --> 00:32:13.579 send forth 00:32:13.579 --> 00:32:14.180 your light 00:32:14.180 --> 00:32:14.960 and your truth, 00:32:15.779 --> 00:32:16.420 that they might be 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:16.940 our guide 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:18.019 to your holy hill, 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:19.740 that people might come, 00:32:19.900 --> 00:32:19.980 Lord, 00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:20.680 to realize 00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:22.480 what sin really is 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:23.940 and to realize 00:32:23.940 --> 00:32:24.620 the wonder 00:32:24.620 --> 00:32:26.460 that for such a sinner 00:32:26.460 --> 00:32:28.519 you have made provision 00:32:28.519 --> 00:32:30.660 so that they could be holy. 00:32:31.700 --> 00:32:32.500 And we ask tonight 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:33.720 for a love 00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:35.019 especially for the cross 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:36.319 and the resurrection 00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:37.380 in the person 00:32:37.380 --> 00:32:38.500 of Jesus Christ. 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:39.559 Lord, 00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:40.200 we thank you 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:41.099 for his holiness, 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:42.559 for the way 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:43.720 that his holiness 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:47.220 continued unchanged 00:32:47.220 --> 00:32:49.600 even through the events 00:32:49.600 --> 00:32:51.180 of his trial 00:32:51.180 --> 00:32:52.380 and crucifixion 00:32:52.380 --> 00:32:53.460 and resurrection 00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:55.700 and that he bore 00:32:55.700 --> 00:32:57.259 the sin of his people 00:32:57.259 --> 00:32:58.759 without himself 00:32:58.759 --> 00:32:59.539 being made 00:32:59.539 --> 00:33:01.640 personally unholy. 00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:02.740 Nevertheless, 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:03.519 we thank you 00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:04.079 that he took 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:05.120 the guilt 00:33:05.120 --> 00:33:05.920 of his people 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:07.559 so that he 00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:08.880 took our curse 00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:09.420 as well. 00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:10.940 Bless to us, 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:11.420 we pray, 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:13.339 all that your word 00:33:13.339 --> 00:33:14.180 tells us 00:33:14.180 --> 00:33:16.060 about our salvation, 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:17.080 about our God, 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:18.720 about your holiness, 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:20.100 about our requirements. 00:33:21.160 --> 00:33:22.220 We pray especially tonight, 00:33:22.340 --> 00:33:22.500 Lord, 00:33:22.560 --> 00:33:23.500 for those that we 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:24.820 have heard about 00:33:24.820 --> 00:33:25.320 recently 00:33:25.320 --> 00:33:27.400 in our world 00:33:27.400 --> 00:33:27.920 that face 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:29.519 so many agonies 00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:30.500 and we pray especially 00:33:30.500 --> 00:33:31.180 tonight for 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:32.320 these families 00:33:32.320 --> 00:33:33.080 in America 00:33:33.080 --> 00:33:35.019 who have this 00:33:35.019 --> 00:33:35.960 terrible tragedy 00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:37.500 where these young 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:38.400 children's lives 00:33:38.400 --> 00:33:38.860 were so 00:33:38.859 --> 00:33:40.699 suddenly cut short. 00:33:41.439 --> 00:33:41.699 Lord, 00:33:41.740 --> 00:33:42.519 what can we say 00:33:42.519 --> 00:33:43.579 in the presence 00:33:43.579 --> 00:33:45.240 of such wickedness? 00:33:45.879 --> 00:33:46.599 What can we say 00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:47.159 in the presence 00:33:47.159 --> 00:33:48.159 of such an act? 00:33:48.740 --> 00:33:49.339 We don't know, 00:33:49.539 --> 00:33:49.679 Lord, 00:33:49.799 --> 00:33:51.459 what we can say 00:33:51.459 --> 00:33:52.019 about it 00:33:52.019 --> 00:33:52.939 other than it is 00:33:52.939 --> 00:33:53.979 appalling 00:33:53.979 --> 00:33:54.779 in our sight. 00:33:55.439 --> 00:33:56.000 Be merciful, 00:33:56.240 --> 00:33:56.659 we pray, 00:33:57.279 --> 00:33:58.079 to all of those 00:33:58.079 --> 00:33:58.559 families 00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:00.000 and draw them 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:00.539 to yourself 00:34:00.539 --> 00:34:01.459 to comfort them 00:34:01.459 --> 00:34:02.859 and help them 00:34:02.859 --> 00:34:03.500 as they seek 00:34:03.500 --> 00:34:05.279 to come to terms 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:06.579 as much as 00:34:06.579 --> 00:34:07.079 they are able 00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:09.079 to these terrible 00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:09.619 events 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:10.599 in days to come. 00:34:11.420 --> 00:34:11.739 Oh, Lord, 00:34:11.779 --> 00:34:12.559 we pray for that 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:13.099 community, 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:14.519 for that school, 00:34:14.679 --> 00:34:15.400 for its teachers, 00:34:15.559 --> 00:34:15.980 for those 00:34:15.980 --> 00:34:18.099 who have relatives 00:34:18.099 --> 00:34:18.579 there 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:20.139 in that community 00:34:20.139 --> 00:34:21.699 that are related 00:34:21.699 --> 00:34:22.739 to those families 00:34:22.739 --> 00:34:23.460 that have lost 00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:24.039 their children. 00:34:24.940 --> 00:34:25.219 Lord, 00:34:25.299 --> 00:34:25.960 we pray that 00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:27.519 in your great mercy 00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:28.880 so you would send 00:34:28.880 --> 00:34:30.460 peace and prosperity 00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:32.380 spiritually to this world 00:34:32.380 --> 00:34:34.119 and we ask that you 00:34:34.119 --> 00:34:34.639 would continue 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:35.319 with us now. 00:34:36.039 --> 00:34:36.699 Hear us in these 00:34:36.699 --> 00:34:38.419 prayers and where 00:34:38.419 --> 00:34:39.139 we offer to you 00:34:39.139 --> 00:34:40.079 in the way of our worship 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:41.439 cleanse everything 00:34:41.439 --> 00:34:43.099 that is unholy about us 00:34:43.099 --> 00:34:44.599 for Jesus' sake. 00:34:44.739 --> 00:34:45.000 Amen. 00:34:47.179 --> 00:34:47.919 We're going to 00:34:47.919 --> 00:34:49.019 conclude our worship 00:34:49.019 --> 00:34:49.480 this evening 00:34:49.480 --> 00:34:50.779 in Psalm 111. 00:34:52.319 --> 00:34:53.539 Psalm 111. 00:34:53.539 --> 00:34:53.579 Psalm 111.