Luke 3:8
“We have Abraham as our father.’”

John the Baptist had a thriving ministry. We read that multitudes, or large gatherings of people, came out to hear him preach. We read that this crowd was made up of a cross section of society. There were religious people, tax collectors, and soldiers, as well as what we might call the everyday man; all of whom had come out to hear John speak.

Crowds formed the same way then as they do today. One man tells another, who tells another, and pretty soon a multitude forms. We are not told who the first people were to hear John speak, but we can imagine the message they declared to their friends, “You gotta come hear this guy speak. I listened to him, was baptized and my life has was changed.” One after another, they gathered to hear John. His message was very…

Leviticus 5:16

“And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.”

The first five chapters of Leviticus introduce us to five offerings; a part of Israel’s worship. The first three were free will offerings, meaning the individual gave of his own volition. The final two were compulsory. There was no relationship with God without the sin and trespass offerings.

The sin offering points to the work of Christ on the cross. As a Lamb without spot or blemish, Jesus went to the cross to once and for all, pay for the sins of humanity. His blood was spilled, and the offering was accepted. We know this because of…

Leviticus 4:2
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of The Lord…'”

Leviticus 4 addresses unintentional sins. The word unintentional means, “not being done on purpose; accidental or unwittingly”. Whether these sins are committed by the people, the leaders, or the congregation as a whole, Moses gives instructions for how forgiveness will be received. This forgiveness involved two primary factors. First, once they became aware of their sin, the people were responsible to bring an offering to the altar. Second, they were to lay their hands on the offering as an admission of their guilt. We can learn something about our reaction to sin from these offerings.

First, we no longer live under the Old Covenant. On the night before His death, Jesus established a New Covenant based upon His death, rather than a system of daily offerings. As a result…

Luke 2:37
“This woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”

Sometimes, we wonder if our lives could ever really make a difference. We see others who are being used by God, and we think, “of course God uses them, they are so…” But when it comes to us, we think, “God can’t use me because…”

I think Anna is a great example, as well as a source of encouragement. We all know, as we age, the body breaks down. We are not able to do some of the things we did when we were younger. That is true of us and it was true of Anna. I love, that instead of regretting what she could not do, Anna found a way to effectively serve the Lord. She fasted, prayed and hung out…

Leviticus 1:2
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.’”

Leviticus is a book about worship. After Israel was redeemed from Egypt and settled for a time at Sinai, God gave them detailed instructions regarding how to worship Him. This worship was centered around five offerings, all of which, when offered, were a sweet aroma to the Lord. Although we are no longer required to bring animal sacrifices to a temple to please God, each offering represents an important aspect of our relationship with God.

The burnt offering is a picture of complete commitment to the Lord. This offering was placed on the altar and consumed in the fire, giving off a sweet aroma, and illustrating a life totally committed to the Lord…

Luke 1:80
“So the child grew and became strong in spirit”

Every parent has the same goal. We desire the best for our children. We want to see them achieve more than we have. We want them to make it through childhood not having been distracted or derailed by vices, but to be prepared to live godly lives and make good life choices. What a blessing for Zacharias and Elizabeth to read that their son, “grew and became strong in spirit”

This statement reveals the grace of God, but it is also the byproduct of the way they lived their lives. We read in Scripture, and see in life, there are godly children produced in ungodly homes, however it is much more common for godliness in parents to be transferred to their kids. Notice for a moment the way Zach and Liz lived, we read,

“They were both righteous…”

Zach…

Exodus 40:34
“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

What the church needs today more than anything else, is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit; like the one received on the day of Pentecost, and the day the Tabernacle was erected. For both, Israel and the church, divine power and direction were directly related to the presence of God. While we cannot manufacture a work of the Spirit of God, we can learn a valuable lesson from the events that transpired on the day the Tabernacle was first constructed.

Exodus 39:42
“According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.”

God gave detailed instructions regarding how the Tabernacle would be built and operated. When Israel followed these instructions, it resulted in the outpouring of the presence of God. The same was…

Exodus 39:1
“Of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread they made garments of ministry, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

In order for the Old Testament priest to serve the Lord, He must be clothed in the proper attire. Moses referred to his clothing as the garments of ministry. These garments included an ephod, breastplate, robe, tunic and a turban. It was clear that those who were to do the work of the Lord, must be clothed in the garments of the Lord. Things have not changed. Just as the Old Testament priest must be clothed in the garments of ministry, so the New Testament saint must don the proper attire if he/she is going to serve Christ. Our garments include at least four things.

Matthew 22:12-13
“‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding…