We're looking at Leviticus chapter 10 today. If you guys remember, chapter 8 and 9 was the inauguration of the sacrifices. And the priests were cleansed, they were ordained, and then the first sacrifice was given in chapter 9, the burden sacrifice. And then in chapter 10, the sons. Aaron gives his sacrifice.

And so now we're in chapter 10 where his two sons, they begin to serve the temple, or the tabernacle. And as you guys know, Adab and Nebihu, because they offered up strange fire, they end up dying. And so this is a very significant chapter because, I mean, obviously every part of it is important, but the meaning behind it and what God was teaching the nation of Israel through this is not just to the nation of Israel.

And I personally believe that it's because we don't know this aspect of God, or very superficially. And part of the reason why we have a superficial understanding of the gospel and sanctification and worship and all of that is because this aspect of his nature is so downplayed, where it's almost strange to think that God would ever put anybody to death for something like this.

So again, we want to dive into chapter 10, look at the details, and again, every part of this, it not only reveals what God thinks about the tabernacle, it reveals something about his nature and his nature in relation to sinful men. And so that's the point of all of this.

So let me pray first, and then we'll jump into chapter 10 today. Heavenly Father, we come before you with heaviness of heart, knowing, Father God, that just how weighty and important these matters are, Lord God, in Leviticus. Though we are no longer under the law because of Christ and what he suffered on our behalf, help us to glean and understand who you are and what it means to have a relationship with the holy, holy, holy God.

I pray, Father God, that the revelation through chapter 10 would not just inform us about the history of what has happened, but help us to know where we are, where we stand, and how we got here. That there would be a sense of weightiness to be in your presence, to worship you, ultimately, Lord, to be in your presence for eternity.

So give us deeper understanding. Help us to have a fuller understanding of who you are. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So remember we talked about, just as a quick review, Exodus. What was the theme of the book of Exodus? Remember how it ended? God told them not to come because he's given the law.

If they come up to the mountain, they shall surely die. He sets up the tabernacle, and then we get to chapter, or in the book of Leviticus, and the theme of the book of Leviticus is this holy God being in the presence of sinful man. And he couldn't just do that.

If he just came without going through all of this, what would have happened to mankind? They would have died, right? He says no man can see God and live. And so the whole drama that we see in the book of Leviticus is to create a way to cover for mankind's sin.

Because in the presence of God as they are, without the covering of blood, they shall surely die. That's what the scripture says. And then after he establishes the book of Leviticus, in how this holy God can be in the presence of the nation of Israel, we get to the book of Numbers where he invites people to the tabernacle, and now they're able to interact with him.

So that's the kind of theme of these three books. And so where we are in the book of Leviticus is God has been teaching every single part of this is the nature of his holiness and man's sinfulness and how that can be reconciled. So Leviticus basically is the gospel message, every part of it.

But it's not just a simplistic gospel message where God is holy, man is sinful, somebody died, and then so therefore we're good. So that in and of itself obviously is the gospel. But there's detailed aspects where God wanted Israel to know what does it mean for God to be holy?

What does it mean for man to be sinful? So he describes sin in detail. Inadvertent sin, a rebellious sin. There's sin where you touch something and you defile something. There's burnt offering, there's peace offering. So all of these things are descriptions of various kinds of sins and how that needs to be dealt with to be in the presence of a holy God.

So in the context of that, chapter 10 basically is a warning that if you do not follow what I tell you, that this is what's going to happen. So can you imagine what happens to the nation of Israel after this? I can imagine maybe some level of excitement before.

They were setting this whole up, it's like our God who delivered us from the nation of Israel, a powerful God, who caused us to cross the Red Sea, and he's going to be in our midst. We're going to be able to make sacrifices, and he's allowing us to come to him.

So you can kind of imagine the excitement that may have been in the nation of Israel as they were going through the setup of this tabernacle. But can you imagine what happened after this? I mean, who would dare come to the tabernacle? They weren't worshipping idols. It wasn't a rebellion against God, at least not on the surface.

But simply because they offered something that was not authorized. They die. So you can imagine what this did, and I think it was very deliberate. God deliberately brings fear upon the nation of Israel to give them an understanding of the seriousness of what it means to approach God. And you can imagine after what happens in chapter 10 that every part of what God's been telling them up to this point, they probably went back and combed through every part of it to make sure they got nothing wrong.

I'm sure they've been paying attention, but imagine if they just kind of skimmed through and they were kind of like, "Well, you know, we kind of got it." I'll bet you after chapter 10, that was not the case. Every single worshipper, every single priest probably combed through everything that was taught to make sure that it was done properly, which is exactly what God wanted them to do.

The death of Nadab and Abihu. Nadab and Abihu were the two eldest sons of Aaron. He had four of them. They're mentioned in Leviticus 8.30. And they were already ordained and ready to serve. So chapter 10 was the beginning of the serving of Aaron's children. So Nadab and Abihu are the two oldest sons.

We're not sure exactly what it is that they did. All it says is that they gave up unauthorized fire. It was not commanded by God. So we don't know the details of what happened. He doesn't even explain. He doesn't say, "I told them not to do this and they broke it." All it says was they did something that they weren't supposed to do.

On the surface, they burned incense and looked like they were doing what they were supposed to do, but it doesn't explain. All it says is they did something that was not commanded, which was a serious enough offense that it would bring fire and consume them. So if the whole point of this tabernacle was to get people to come to him, what happens in chapter 10 is going to throw a wrench in all of that.

Who would dare approach God after this? God was very precise. He's been precise, but all the laws that we've seen up to this point, it is not comprehensive. In fact, if you study the other parts of the Bible, in Exodus and Chronicles, and you see various parts where they're actually practicing the sacrifices, the laws were actually a lot more detailed than what's written in the book of Leviticus.

Leviticus is not comprehensive. So a lot of the stuff that we know about the sacrifices are things that we learn from studying all of Scripture. From the Chronicles, from the Kings, from Exodus, from Numbers. And so we know that this particular thing about the incense, he was so precise that he actually even tells them what material to use, where they're supposed to get the coal, and even the time of day.

Like every morning that they're supposed to do this. So I just put that up there just to inform just how precise God was with his law. It was not like, "Okay, I want you to come and just bring this animal." But even the way you handled it, where you laid your hand, where you ate, all of that.

How you dressed when you ate, when you were inside and outside, when you were to do it, what coal, which hand, all of that was all prescribed in Scripture. We don't know exactly what they violated, but we know that in Leviticus 9.24, the first time the fire comes down from heaven, where God sends his angel, it was to consume the burnt offering that Aaron gave in chapter 9.

So chapter 9 ends with Aaron giving the burnt offering, and then God comes with this fire, consumes it. Do you remember what happens as a result of that? Chapter 9.24, "And fire came out from before the Lord, and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar.

And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces." So there was a sense of awe. People fell down, and it just kind of spontaneous worship happened when the presence of God appears because of the fire. But obviously, the second instance of the sacrifice does not lead to worship, but terror.

God speaks to Aaron through Moses to declare why his sons were killed in verse 3. So we don't know exactly what it is, other than that it was unauthorized fire, but the explanation given in verse 3 is that this is what the Lord has said, "Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified." Somebody here has an NASB version?

Whoever has an NASB, can you just read it out loud for us? Really? None of you guys have an NASB version? Yeah, I know Dr. Peng does. Verse 3. Okay. So if you look at verse 3, the meaning is the same, but I think it's a bit more clear in the NASB, because the NASB says, "I will be treated as holy." In other words, whatever it was that they did, they didn't consider his holiness, the weightiness of who he is.

So they ignored some of the rules when they came to God. So it was an act of irreverence toward him, this unauthorized fire. It wasn't simply a mistake, it was irreverence toward God. And this irreverence toward God was what led to this capital punishment. In fact, we see the same thing in Numbers chapter 20, verse 12.

Can somebody turn to Numbers chapter 20, verse 12? I don't think I have the verses. Again, really, nobody else has NASB? I think ESV translation is okay in this one. Numbers chapter 20, verse 12. Okay, can you read it out loud? Okay, right there. So in Numbers chapter 20, verse 12, the context of that is, remember where they're about to enter the Promised Land, and Israelites are complaining again, and Moses is just fed up with these people.

And they come before God, and God says, "Give them what they want. Give them the water." And then Moses strikes the rock. We don't know exactly what it is that he did, but what he did was not what God wanted him to do. And so the water comes, and as a result of that, he is banned from entering to the Promised Land.

So think about it. For 40 years, he didn't even want to lead these people. God basically commanded him to do so. He persevered for 40 years with the whining and complaining, and then right as he is entering the Promised Land, that this offense was serious enough that he was banned from entering into the Promised Land.

And what was that offense? He didn't present God as holy. He didn't present God as holy. In other words, there was irreverence. So we're not exactly what it was that he did that showed irreverence, but the same thing is said about Moses. And it was serious enough that this man who represented Israel, the greatest leader in Israel, was prevented from entering into the very thing that he probably was daydreaming about for 40 years.

And he said he couldn't enter. So this sin of irreverence toward God is very, very, very serious. That's the point that he's trying to make to the nation of Israel. And he is consistent all throughout scripture, irreverence toward God. Now, let me just pull back a little bit. Because if we don't understand the nature of who God is, you can even as a Christian live the rest of your life centered around yourself.

You love God, don't love God based upon what he does or doesn't do for you. We talk about lordship, but the lordship is just a word. And so our affection for God, worship to God, and obedience to God is all contingent upon what he is doing in my life, how he is answering my prayers.

But if you understand the nature of God and who it is that we worship, and who it is that we've been reconciled to, it reorients our understanding of our own salvation. And the whole point of all of this, it wasn't simply about a wrong attitude. It's a complete wrong understanding of judgment, complete wrong understanding of salvation, complete wrong understanding of life.

So, again, let me just kind of go off tangent for just a minute. If rebellion against God is self-centeredness, God gave him the command and instead of obeying this, "Do not eat of this tree," and he basically ignores it, mankind ignores it and they just do it. And it seems like a trivial thing that they did, but at the core of it is their fighting against God for who's going to be central.

Is God going to be Lord or are you going to be Lord? So even in our salvation, after we are saved, if our whole life is centered around yourself, how is that different than the rebellion at the Garden of Eden? It isn't. Because the whole point of man's sin was to say, "I am at the center." So if we live our Christian lives with my needs and my desire and God fulfilling my needs and my desire, how is that any different than the rebellion of Adam and Eve?

There is no difference. So a man who has not given lordship to Christ has not been reconciled in his relationship with God. Let me say that again. A man who is living a self-centered life and is no different than the rebellion at the Garden of Eden has not been reconciled with God.

Because you can't be reconciled to God on your terms. Hopefully that's clear. You cannot be reconciled to God on your terms. So the whole point of the book of Leviticus is, if you are going to come to God, these are the things that God is allowing. And the reason why the blood of Christ needed to be shed was that all of these things were just a shadow.

It's just to point to you that these are the things that are necessary for you to come. And that's why Christ came and He fulfills it. But the point of the fulfillment is to be reconciled to God, to declare Him and His glory, to recognize Him and His glory.

So again, John Calvin says of this, "If we reflect how holy a thing God's worship is, the enormity of the punishment will by no means offend us. Besides, it was necessary that their religion should be sanctioned as it is very commencement. For if God had suffered the sons of Aaron to transgress with impunity, they would have afterwards carelessly neglected the whole law.

This, therefore, was the reason for such great severity that priests should anxiously watch against all profanation." So the whole point of all of this is to, from the very get-go, that the rules and regulations that God gave were not just suggestions. These were life and death. If you followed it, you lived.

If you didn't follow it, you shall surely die. Because you can't be in the presence of a holy God. You can't be reconciled to God on your terms. So all of these are given so that sinful man can be covered in his sin. So when we come to God with strange fire, meaning on our terms, natural things that's going to happen is you're going to die.

And that was the point that he was trying to make. And as a result of that, it simply says Aaron held his tongue. These are his children, first and second child. They die right in front of him, and Aaron says nothing. He probably knew what they did was a violation of God's law.

And Aaron himself at one point was guilty. You remember the fact that Aaron is still alive and is able to function as a high priest is a demonstration of his mercy because you know what happened in the very beginning of Israel's history. He's the guy who was responsible for the golden calf, and he presented it to Israel.

The fact that he actually is living is because of God's mercy. So he was in no position to protest before God, even with the death of his two children. But we're going to see further just how serious this is. Nadab and Abihu are buried in verse 4-7, but instead of Eleazar and Nethemar, which are the other two children of Israel, the third and fourth child of Aaron, instead of them burying their older brother, their cousins, Mishael and Elzaphan, are commanded to carry out Nadab and Abihu's bodies outside the camp.

So typically, family members were allowed to bury them, obviously, but God wouldn't allow Aaron or his children to touch their bodies. The reason behind that was that Aaron and his sons are not permitted to mourn for their sons' brothers lest they die, and the wrath of God be on the whole congregation, in verse 6.

"So Moses said to Aaron and Nethemar, his sons, 'Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and the wrath come upon all the congregation. But lest your brothers and the whole house of Israel be well the burning that the Lord has kindled.'" So if you look at verse 6, it says, "Do not let your hair on your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes." What was that act of?

Anybody? It was a sign of mourning, right? So when God says, "Do not untie your hair, and do not rip your clothes," in other words, God is basically preventing and saying, "You are not allowed to mourn for this." You're going to go about your business. It seems cold and harsh, but He won't allow them to bury His own children.

So cousins come, and then He says, "You're not allowed to tear your clothes," like any parent or any brother would do. He said, "You're not allowed to do that." And He says three separate times, "Or you shall die." So He gives regulations in verse 6, 7, and 9. In other words, the seriousness of what you just saw, that if you do not follow what I tell you to do, you shall surely die.

And He repeats it three separate times to make sure that they understood. That don't let what happened to them happen to you. Follow my instructions. This was partly because they were the nearest in relations to Nadab and Nebihu, and there was some level of culpability of their sins with Aaron and his sons.

So if you can turn with me to Joshua 7. Turn your Bible to Joshua 7. Just to kind of give context and understanding. So turn your Bible to Joshua 7. And we'll look at... I'm not going to read the whole thing, but in verse 1, "But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things.

For Achan, the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah in the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things, and the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel." So basically the context of this is, when they were going into Jericho, God told the nation of Israel, "Don't touch anything because everything is under a ban." Meaning God had determined that everything in there was to be judged.

Achan decides that he's going to take some of the choice things and ignore God. And as a result of that, they go and charge into the city of Ai, which was a much smaller city. And they take over 3,000 men to go over there, and then they get defeated by them.

When they come back, Joshua is confused. They were able to go into Jericho without any problem, and then they go after this tiny city, and they get defeated. So they ask God, "What happened?" And God says, "This is exactly--this is what happened. I told you not to touch anything, but Achan sinned." But the way he describes Achan's sin, look with me in verse 11.

He says, "Israel has sinned. They have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them. They have taken some of the devoted things. They have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings." So let me start right there. Achan's the only one who committed the sin, right? So in other words, God's saying the reason why you weren't able to defeat Ai was that the reason why you were able to defeat Jericho in the first place was not because of you.

And that was the whole purpose of that drama of going around, right, with the Ark of the Covenant, is to demonstrate and to teach Israel that your power is not within yourself. It's when you obey, the Lord will be with you. So when you disobey, even a small nation you can't conquer.

But the way he described the sin, he doesn't simply say Achan sinned. He said Israel has sinned, right? And as a result of Israel's sin, these things have happened. So if you look, go back down to verse 16. So Achan is going to be punished for this sin, but I want you to look at how he's punished.

"So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and tribe of Judah was taken." So the whole nation of Israel shows up, and then from--because Israel is guilty. Remember he said, "Israel, you have sinned," right? Even though it was just Achan. So among Israel, they take the tribe of Judah.

"And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of Zerahites was taken." So within Judah, the clan of Zerahites. "And then he brought near the clan of Zerahites man by man, and Zebda was taken." So from that group, he takes one by one from that family. "He brought near his household man by man," so he would bring his family from that group, "and then the Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah was taken." So what is this whole drama?

Why don't I just go into his house and get him and then punish him? God made them all stand together, the whole nation of Israel, and then goes into Judah, and then from Judah, he would take the clan, from the clan, he would take the group, and from that group, he would target the family, and from that family, he would take Achan.

What was the drama behind all of that? The culpability of the whole nation, and the nearer they were to the proximity of this man, they were accountable for his actions. So even though Achan committed the action, his family was guilty to a certain degree. His clan was guilty, the next group, and after that was his tribe, and after that, the whole nation of Israel.

God didn't just say, "You sinned, and only you." So again, in an individualistic culture like you and I, where it's just me, I didn't commit it, it was them, it's very difficult for us to understand this, but in the biblical mindset, the way God sees it, he does see us in the context of the community that we belong to.

We are culpable for one another. It's like my brother's kippah, and the answer is yes. That's what God says. In the community of the church, if there is sin in the church, and we do nothing about that sin, there is a level of culpability in us. The leaders are the first ones.

If we see sin, and we just sweep it under the rug, and God judges, there's a stricter judgment upon the leadership, but it's not just the leaders. If we look at sin, and we ignore sin, there are different degrees of culpability, but there is culpability, depending on how near you are.

Again, all of this is so that we can get an understanding of how God sees sin, and how God brings punishment. It is not just this individualistic thing that we see. There is a responsibility for what we see around us. He doesn't allow them to mourn. There is a certain degree of culpability because those two were their family and brothers.

And because Nehemiah and Nebihu's death was a capital punishment, they were not even allowed to leave the tabernacle to join the physical mourning of their brothers and sons. In other words, they were told to go about their business and keep doing their work. It seems cold. But that's how weighty, that's how serious this was.

And if Aaron and his children were going to do this, they had to submit. And he said, "If you don't, you shall surely die." In the next section, verse 8-11, the Lord speaks to Aaron directly. Up to now, God only spoke to Aaron through Moses. Moses was the mediator between Israel and God up to this point.

But for the first time in verse 8, God speaks directly to Aaron. If you notice verse 7, it basically ends, after all the instructions are given, it basically ends by saying, "They did according to the word of Moses." In other words, they took it very seriously, what God said.

God said not to touch, not to mourn, not to leave, and they did exactly what God told them to do, and they obey. And as a result of that, this points to the fact that Aaron has been accepted as high priest and now functions as God's mediator to the people.

So this was a very, very serious lesson that Aaron and his two children, at the very get-go of the service of the tabernacle. Can you imagine going to work on the very first day? You get slapped with something this serious, and after that, how terrified you would be to come to work.

That's basically what happened. This was not like a once-a-year occurrence, him coming to the tabernacle. Aaron was in charge of all the sacrifices, all the incense, all of it. So imagine what God was trying to teach Aaron and the nation of Israel, to take the holiness of God seriously.

Don't let it just be a word. Don't let it just be an idea. You're talking about a visual, emotional, physical, social ramification of his holiness in the presence of sinful man. So when he says sinful people in the presence of God will surely die, it wasn't just words. It wasn't a suggestion.

It wasn't a possibility. It was a fact. You cannot be in the presence of God on your own terms, period. God forbids Aaron and his sons not to drink wine or strong drink. Some speculated that possibly Nader and Nebihu may have been drunk. Again, this is complete speculation. They think that maybe that's the reason, because drinking was not prohibited.

In fact, you see it oftentimes with the prophets and various people. It was not prohibited. But probably a better understanding of that was, we see the Nazarite vow in the Old Testament, that when an individual was completely devoted to God for his service, that part of his vow was not to touch strong drink.

And again, to keep his mind and his body ready and alert in service at all times. So again, God says to come to serve at the tabernacle, God is demanding that they are kept completely pure. And to be completely dedicated. So in verse 12 to 20, we see three separate sacrifices.

It doesn't say grain offering, peace offering, and sin offering, but if you look at the details, how it describes, it's a description of these three sacrifices. To eat the grain offering, basically he said go back to business, to offering sacrifices, and then he says go, in the grain offering, make sure that you eat this in the holy place.

He says to go eat the peace offering, and make sure that you eat it in a clean place. And then third, he talks about the purification offering, and what to do with that. He was to eat that. Remember we talked about that? That the priest eating this stuff, eating the sacrifices, it was not just a, oh, you get to eat, and so we're just going to eat anywhere.

Remember we talked about how God prescribes specifically what they can and cannot eat, and he even prescribed where to eat it. Remember why that was necessary? Because the eating was part of the sacrifice. It was something that God was teaching them, so it was part of the sacrament. It wasn't just, hey, we have food, now we get to eat, and just kind of go, and like any other time we eat.

It was part of the ritual sacrifice. And so Moses gets angry because they do the first and second, but when it comes to the purification offering, for whatever the reason, they did not eat. They don't obey. So Moses gets angry because he just told them, if you don't know exactly what I tell you to do, you shall surely die, you shall surely die, you shall surely die.

They just saw what happened to his two children. And so can you imagine Moses, like, I just told you this, and you're, you know, right after you just saw what happened, and you're going to disobey? How come you didn't eat it? That's the scene that we see in chapter 12, chapter 10, 12-20.

Just to get a better understanding of this, in the case of sin offering, the right to eat meat was dependent upon where the blood was sprinkled. It was very specific. So if the blood was smeared inside the tent of meeting, the animal's carcass was burned outside the camp. If, however, the blood was smeared on the altar of the burnt offering, outside the tent meeting, the priests were entitled to eat the meat.

So again, these instructions are so specific. If they were smeared in the tent, it meant that this was not to be eaten. This was to be taken out, not to be touched. But if it was smeared on the altar, the priests were commanded that they are to eat this within.

But this is the part where they didn't follow. They did the other two, but on the third one, they didn't eat. So as a result of that, Moses is angered, because it seemed like Aaron and his sons again dishonored God by not following his direction. So if you look at verse 19, "And Aaron said to Moses, 'Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me.

If I have eaten the sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?'" So in other words, Aaron is saying, it wasn't because I was being irreverent or dishonored God. It was because of what they experienced with Nadab and Abihu, that they said they were giving burnt offering and sin offering, and because they did it wrong, they died.

And so in other words, Aaron was saying, it wasn't because we didn't fear God, it was because we feared God that we were being cautious. So even though he didn't obey, he said, "Well, we wanted to, but look what happened today." And they were in the context of giving the sin offering, and the offering, and because they did it wrong.

So we didn't want to get it wrong, and we didn't want to die. And that answer sufficed Moses. And the reason why it sufficed Moses was because the whole point of this was for God to be shown holy. God said that they were punished because they didn't honor God as holy.

And so Aaron, on the surface, looked like he was dishonoring God, and again, not having reverence toward God, but Aaron's answer basically flipped that script around and said, "No, it was because I was afraid. It was because we were recognizing it as holy." And as a result of that, they're allowed to go about their business.

Now that's the story of Nadab and Abihu, chapter 10. The significance of this is so important because you and I have been studying the detailed information that God has been giving in the book of Leviticus about how do sinful people-- how are they in the presence of a holy God?

Is there a reflection of this in the New Testament? Turn to Acts, chapter 5. If you turn to Acts, chapter 5, Leviticus is the ratification of the first covenant. God gives the law, and then he gives the tabernacle, and then he gives the rules on how to approach God.

And then so chapter 10 basically is the beginning of a relationship with the holy God and sinful people. God's presence coming, and then the very first encounter of a holy God and sinful people ends in death. Chapter 5 is where the Holy Spirit comes down in chapter 2, and the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling, and the new covenant is inaugurated.

So his church, right, his church which replaces the tabernacle happens in Acts, chapter 2. The very first event that is recorded as a whole in chapter 5, if you guys know this story, Ananas and Sapphira, they sell their land, and then they lie to the church saying that this is all of it, and the Holy Spirit reveals that that's not the truth.

It's only half of it, and as a result of it, what happens? They die. Ananias, why have you lied to the Holy Spirit? And as a result of it, they die. So Sapphira comes and backs up her husband's story, and as a result of that, they die. And so if you look at it, it says, verse 11, "And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things." Does that sound a lot like what we just read in chapter 10 of Leviticus?

It almost seems like it's mirroring, right? Inauguration of the tabernacle leads to death, and fear probably came upon the nation of Israel, and there was a sense of reverence. Chapter 5, the church is inaugurated. The apostles, who function like the priests, kind of, because they were the ones initially sent to bring the gospel, and their first encounter in the church ends in death.

And as a result of that, there is great fear. This is in the New Testament. This is not the Old Testament. This is the New Testament. So this reverence toward the things of God, is it different in the New Testament? No, we don't die. If you look in the Old Testament, did people die immediately, as soon as they broke the law?

They did not, right? But it happened in the inauguration. Now, sometimes God will punish them immediately, sometimes it took a while, sometimes they lived for generations. But in the inauguration, it was made very clear that this is serious. In the inauguration of the church, we see the same thing.

Fear comes upon them, and as a result, you would think that people would run. He said people were afraid to associate with the apostles because of this fear, but he said the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. So part of God's work, like the power of the gospel, and the power of the early church, is to recognize His presence.

Because that's the whole point of the gospel, is not people, is not the small group, is not your leaders, is not the pastor, is to be reconciled to a holy, holy, holy God. And you can't come to God on your terms. You cannot come to God on your terms.

That is absolutely crystal clear. You can complain about the church, you can complain about the people, you can complain about the style of teaching, but you cannot come to God on your terms. If that was not clear in the Old Testament, it is absolutely clear in the New Testament.

That's why Paul says when the Corinthians were divided and it was causing all kinds of chaos, remember what he says? "Do you not know that you are the temple of God?" Now when he says that, what do you think he was-- the Israelites were thinking in their head? A temple of God is nothing to be messed with.

You think the nation of Israel ever forgot about what happened to Nadab and Nebihu? So when Paul says to the Corinthians, "You're treating the church as if it's not sacred, and you're willing to divide, allow all kinds of sins and chaos to come into the church, do you not know that your body is a temple of God?" You have no reverence, right?

Not recognizing that this is where God has chosen to dwell. This is his church. The head of the church is Christ. This is where he rules. We are the body. We are his hands. So the fact that you and I are somehow connected with Christ, in and of itself requires sacredness and reverence.

And so when the scripture says to live out your salvation with what? Fear and trembling. All this stuff is connected. All this stuff is connected. It's not out of the blue. This is what he's been teaching the nation of Israel. So when Christ came and he walked, that's why people had a hard time.

Because God was so distant and far. How can Jesus be God when he's among us? Because again, the idea that we have in the New Testament is that we made Christ so pedestrian. Like yes, he did serve. He was on his knees and he washed our feet. But the Christ that we see, that was a period when he humbled himself, became nothing.

But so many people still have this image of Christ as a servant serving us. Remember what it says in chapter 2? He humbled himself, therefore, what does it say? God exalted him to the highest place. That every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord. He's not in that humble state.

If you see Jesus coming in the second coming, how does he come? In his full glory. In his full glory. That's where he sits now. He came and humbled himself and served us and washed our feet to set an example. But because ultimately he came to take us to go to the cross and die for us and cover our sins.

But Christ is our king. He's our God. He's our Lord. Not the other way. And when we get that mixed up, that's when we start having problems of understanding where our purpose in life. The whole problem of mankind is that we try to put ourselves at the center. The answer to your sins and the answer to being right with God is recognizing that you and I are no longer at the center.

And as much as sinful man comes to God kicking and screaming, the moment you are no longer at the center of your life, you are free. You are free. Not recognizing the bondage of mankind is this lust of wanting to feed this flesh to be at the center. But the moment you let go and you die, you are free.

And even as Christians, the greatest freedom is when you are lost in Christ. Those aren't just words. That's the reality. When you recognize who he is, and in light of recognizing who you are, and you no longer matter. Really, you no longer matter. And that kind of sounds like, "Well, that kind of sounds like God doesn't care." No.

That's what God is telling us. He cared for us so much. He's telling us the way to live is to die. Okay, I have a couple of few verses that I want to give to you before. Again, the seriousness of... Let me just read a few verses. 1 Peter 4, 17, "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.

And if this begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" Again, a sense of seriousness. The word "glory" basically means something weighty, heavy. There needs to be a sense of heaviness in the way we approach God. There needs to be a sense of heaviness in the way we read his scripture.

There has to be a sense of heaviness in the church. That we are not to run this church any way we please. And that's why the first vision of our church is God-centered worship, not man-centered. We don't make decisions based upon what may make you the happiest. There are some things that you say, "Well, if we did this, it would be so much better.

If we did this, so many people would be satisfied. And if we keep it like this, keep it like that." Well, not to say that those things aren't important, but it's not central. The central thing that we're concerned about is how is God honored. How is God honored? That's the backbone of any church, not just Beroean Community Church, any church.

Because it's not our church. It's his church. So there has to be a weightiness in that. The first thing that he says before we're so concerned about the world, he says make sure that the church is his church first. Do you understand what I'm saying? We can't make salvation of the world primary.

I hope that makes sense to you. Salvation of the world is not primary. God's glory is the primary. It's the primary because he's the one who's offended. He's the one who's been offended, not the world. He's the one that we need to appease. He's the one we need to worship.

He's the one that we need to be concerned about. And so a part of worshiping God means to obey and go to the remotest part of the world and bring them to him. But primary is him. So honoring God in the church, honoring God in my life is primary.

Not how you feel, not who likes you, not who reached out to you, who didn't reach out to you, or how you feel at church, that's not primary. Primary is God being worshipped and honored in our lives. James 3.1, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brother, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." So if we're going to make God primary, we need to make sure that the leaders who represent the church are first and foremost people who have reverence toward the things of God.

That they need to understand the weightiness of what it is. So therefore, all this other stuff about being above reproach and able to teach, all of these things are all summarized in what's being said here. Leadership is not something to covet, because leadership means that there is a stricter judgment that comes upon you.

The closer you are to God, more is required. Even if it's positionally. Now obviously, we're all children of God, but to be a leader in the church, to represent the holy presence of God in the church, because there's greater damage when you sin. It's one thing for a Christian to sin, "Oh, that guy's a pastor and he's doing that?

That guy's an elder and he's doing that? That guy's a deacon and he's doing that?" Because it reflects poorly on God, a holy, holy, holy God. So there may be a high view of God, means high view of church, means high view of leadership. So we don't just plug people in, because there's a need.

So they might get things done and maybe things will go smoother, but our ultimate goal is not to make sure everything goes smoother. Our ultimate goal is to make sure that God is being honored. Even if all the logistics in the church falls apart, we need to make sure that God is honored, first and foremost.

And we can't do that if we don't have a high view of God, high view of church, high view of leadership. And then Luke 12, 48, again, as I said, "But the one who did not know and did what deserved the beating will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to him they entrusted much, they will demand more." Again, to have a high view of God, high view of the church, high view of leadership, and high view of fellowship, high view of his word, right?

Anything that is related to God, there has to be a sense of reverence. I hope that really came through in today's study. Because generally as a whole, people in our culture where you and I live, it's just missing. And that's why one of the most primary questions that people get is, "If God is so loving, why does he not do this?" You see how that question in and of itself would be offensive to a holy God?

Where we offended him, we're the ones deserving of judgment, he sends his only begotten son to cover us with his blood, and then we question him for not obeying and listening to us. You see how offensive that questioning in and of itself would be? Because that question in and of itself is revealing that we know nothing of this God.

Because if we knew anything of this God, there would be trembling and fear. How? Because that's exactly what it says in the book of Revelation. When Christ comes, what happens to the sinners? They run to the hills and they hide. They hide because they're terrified of his presence. And that's how God is revealed to us in the scriptures.

And that's why when we talk about the blood of Christ covering, what does he cover us? He covers us to protect us from what? From the wrath of God. From God's own wrath, we are covered by his blood. So again, the questions that, some of it I already talked about.

Considering what we have studied today, what do you think should be the most important quality of any leader in the church? I kind of mentioned it, but it takes some time to discuss that. Do you think there is enough reverence for the things of God in the way you practice your Christian life?

Why or why not? And again, I hear all the time people saying like, you know, like arguing adamantly about gray areas. And my point is not to talk about the gray areas of where you should or should not. Right. If you live your whole life where it might or might not be OK with God.

That in and of itself already already tells you you're not considering God. If I knew who God was, I want to make sure that my life, my whole life is lived in white. What I know to be white. You understand what I'm saying? If you really knew who God was.

Yes, we have freedom in Christ. And I think that I think it's very dangerous to start identifying that this is sin. This is not sin. And and start to decipher for people. But the whole point of arguing for gray area already tells you that that person has no understanding of who it is that they worship.

Right. In what way does our reverence show in the way that we think, the way we make decisions, how we live our life? Three, if the church is the New Testament temple of God and the corporate worship that our most important act of sacrifice we give to God. How should we treat it with greater reverence?

Are we nonchalant about the way we worship God? Are we irreverent? Do we recognize that we're coming into his holy presence? And I know I mentioned this several times before, but the corporate worship is probably the most sacred time for any Christian. Right. Because that's where we it's it's more sacred than your personal worship.

So is the most sacred thing that any Christian does in his life after he becomes a Christian. Is that something that that you think that you are you are you recognize and revere? Be specific. And then number four, how do you strike a balance between First John 418 and Philippians 2.

So Philippians 2 tells us to live out your life with fear and trembling. First John 418 says love casts out fear. Right. So I sometimes I hear people quoting one verse over the other and then back and forth. And and obviously they're both in scripture. What does that mean?

How do you balance that? You know, like do we live our life constantly in fear that God's going to judge us? And obviously we said love casts out fear. And then you have the other side where it says, well, God loves me. So there is no judgment. I do whatever I want because that's what the scripture says.

And yet the scripture says, live out your salvation with fear and trembling. Right. And we see that we see that not only in the Old Testament, even in the New Testament. So how do we balance that? Right. How do you apply that practically where where one or the other is not being ignored?

Right. So let me pray for us. Then I'll release you to your small group. Heavenly Father, we ask for clarity. We know that this is something that we don't fully understand. We've only seen a glimpse of your glory, of your holiness, Lord God, of what you've told us and what we've seen in scripture.

And maybe to various degrees, Lord God. That we understand and we've encountered you. But even in our deepest understanding, Lord, we are so far. Help us, Lord God, to recognize what it is to fall short of your glory. And what it is to be restored to that glory. To understand the grace that we're in and the gospel that you've given us, that we truly may live worthy of this gospel.

I pray for our church. I pray for our individual brothers and sisters. That a sense of reverence, of holiness and your presence, Lord God, would change our mindset that we would no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ. That glorifying Christ and pointing to who he is may be our life, our joy, our comfort, our salvation.

So what we are weak in doing by our own flesh, we pray your Holy Spirit would lead and guide us. Bless our time, Lord God, as we have our time of discussion. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.