In The Presence of The Lord

In one paragraph

Brian walked the congregation through the peace offering described in Leviticus 7, specifically the free will thanksgiving offering, showing how it was designed not as a private religious transaction but as a communal feast. The sermon sits inside an ongoing series on Leviticus, and the running argument of that series is that the book reveals how far God goes to have relationship with people. This...

Read together

1. Leviticus 7:11-17 main passage read aloud by Elisha, the law of the peace offering and thanksgiving sacrifice
2. Deuteronomy 12:7 eating in the presence of the lord with your family and rejoicing in everything you have put your hand to
3. Deuteronomy 12:18 command to eat the offerings with sons, daughters, servants, and Levites in the presence of the lord
4. Psalm 107:1-2 give thanks to the lord for he is good, and if he has redeemed you then speak out
5. Psalm 107:22 let the redeemed offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts
6. Revelation 3:20 Jesus says he stands at the door and knocks and will come in and share a meal together as friends
7. Philippians 2:17 Paul says he will rejoice even if he loses his life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to god

Talk about it

1. Brian said that for a life-giving relationship with God, something has to die. How does that land with you, and where do you see that idea show up outside of the Old Testament sacrificial system?
2. The congregation noticed that the peace offering had to be eaten the same day, which meant you had to invite a lot of people to help you finish it. What does it say about God that he built community into the structure of the thanksgiving offering itself?
3. Brian read from Deuteronomy 12 that the offering was to be eaten with sons, daughters, servants, and Levites together. He said the goodness of God is intended to be shared in the context of community. Where in your own life do you tend to experience or process God's goodness in isolation rather than with others?
4. Psalms 107 says, has the Lord redeemed you, then speak out. Brian asked what that looks like in your own context and with your own personality. What is something God has done for you recently that you have not yet told anyone about?
5. Brian closed by connecting Paul's words in Philippians 2 about pouring out his life as a liquid offering to the idea that Jesus laid down his life for us and the reasonable response is to lay down our lives for him. What does laying your life down actually look like in a practical, day-to-day sense for you right now?