Monthly Archives: April 2016

Articles, Bible, Prophecy, Teaching

The Only Access to God: Why Study Leviticus

At first glance, it is tempting to skip Leviticus when reading the Bible. It does not have riveting narrative like Genesis or Joshua, nor does it give lofty inspiration like the Psalms or Ephesians.
Skip Leviticus? Don’t do it! The third book of Moses is an indispensable part of the Bible: for starters, it is God’s inspired Word and profitable (II Timothy 3:16). It is a revered book of the Scriptures, known as the Pentateuch (Greek) or Torah (Hebrew), the five books of Moses. Furthermore, it gives some outstanding typology of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it shows us the only way to have access to God. Therefore, it behooves us to make it part of our study of Scripture.
NAME
The original Hebrew calls this book va-yeech-krah, meaning ‘And he called.’ These happen to be the first three words of Leviticus in the Hebrew Bible. The Talmud refers to this book as the ‘Law of the Priests and Offerings.’ The ancient Greek translation of Scripture, the Septuagint (LXX) calls it Leuitikon, meaning ‘pertaining to the Levites.’ The Latin Vulgate gave us the name Leviticus. In reality, it speaks about only part of the tribe of Levi, the House of Aaron, who held the priesthood.
AUTHOR
Moses. No less than 56 times in Leviticus does it refer to the law given to Moses (e.g. 1:1; 4:1; 6:1,24). Jesus Christ speaks of Moses as the author of the Torah (Matthew 8:2-4 cf. Leviticus 14:1-4; Matthew 12:4 cf. Leviticus 24:9) and for believers His endorsement should settle the issue.
TIME
Israel stood at the foot of Mount Sinai. The first passover (Exodus 12:2) was the first month of the first year of the new calendar. The tabernacle was finished one year later (Exodus 40:17). Leviticus commences in the first month of the second year and Numbers begins the following month.
There is a logical progression leading to Leviticus.
Genesis: Man sins and falls.
Exodus: Man is redeemed and delivered.
Leviticus: Man is instructed about the only worship that give access to the presence of God.
THEME
What is the only access to God? Worship through holiness.
Leviticus teaches how a redeemed people are to worship and serve God. He is holy and His people must be likewise. This holiness is undergirded by sacrifice, a motif that appears regularly in Leviticus.
KEY POINTS OF LEVITICUS
What become obvious as you study Leviticus is:
God’s Presence: God wants to dwell among His people;
Holiness: Only by being holy can people be close to God.
Sacrifice for sin makes holiness possible: without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:20)
Covenant: We do not have a de facto relationship but de jure (according to law). Covenant, which means a binding agreement between two or more parties, brings great benefits when the terms are met; great disaster if violated.
Holiness is mentioned 152 times in Leviticus, which is 20% of all occurrences in the Old Testament. Sacrifice, which makes holiness possible, is mentioned 40 times; atonement 45 times, blood 85 times, and priest 190 times.
The emphasis here is unmistakable: God demands holiness as the price of entering His presence and dwelling with Him forever. Without holiness no man can see the LORD (Hebrew 12:14).
KEY VERSES  
Leviticus 17:11 ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
Leviticus 20:7-8  ‘Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you.’
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST
In summary, you can find wonderful typology of Christ in the five offerings, seven feasts, and the role of the high priest.
CHRIST IN THE FIVE OFFERINGS
Burnt offering: Where the sacrifice is purged of sin. For Christ, the burning represents the unspeakable and excruciatingly painful suffering He experienced at His passion, culminating at the the cross.
Meal offering: This speaks of Christ’s sinless person and work, a portion thereof was thrown in the fire.
Peace offering: This speaks of reconciliation between a holy God and sinful humanity (Romans 5:1). This was the offering between Laban and Jacob.
Sin-offering: Known also as the guilt offering, this speaks of the Atonement that Christ procured for us. He is our sin-bearer.
Trespass Offering: Christ atoning death totally satisfies God’s righteous requirements. It restores the relationship with God that was severed by Adam’s sin.
CHRIST IN THE FEASTS
Passover: This is clear enough. The passover lamb was young, without blemish, and burnt after the sacrifice. Christ is called our passover lamb: He was young, sinless, and His passion was like fire. Yet because of His atoning death and shed blood, the death angel ‘passes over’ all who believe.
Feast of Unleavened Bread: Israel’s departure from Egypt was so quick, they did not have time to let the dough rise in the bowl. ‘Leaven,’ though necessary for good quality bread, represents pride and sin. During this feast, Israel eats only unleavened bread, known also as matzo. This feast represents the holy walk that Christ modelled and God calls us to.
Feast of First Fruits: This represents the first evidence of harvest from the crops; once you see this, you know the rest of the harvest is coming. Likewise, Christ is called the ‘first-fruits’ from the dead (I Corinthians 15:20-23). His resurrection guarantees our own.
Pentecost: Known also as ‘Feast of Weeks,’ this is an agricultural festival that also commemorates Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai. Likewise, this feast has a glorious New Testament counterpart: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the followers of Jesus in Acts 2. This is considered the birthday of the Christian Church. So as the law given on Sinai brought bondage, the Holy Spirit poured out on Pentecost in Zion gave power and liberty.
Trumpets: This is New Year’s Day and it is ushered in by the sounding of the trumpets. It is also an autumn feast and forecasts the final ingathering from exile of the children of Israel (Zechariah 14).
Day of Atonement: This is the most solemn day of the year, the only authorised fast in the calendar (even though Leviticus does not specifically mention fasting – it speaks merely of afflicting one’s soul). This was the only day of the year that the high priest could enter into the most sacred place on earth: the holy of holies. Christ, our perfect atonement, has given all of us 24/7 access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).
Tabernacles: This autumn feast remembers when Israel dwelt in booths in the wilderness. Though not fulfilled in the New Testament, it most likely will culminate at the second coming of Christ.
High Priest: The line of Aaron, brother of Moses, from the tribe of Levi, held the priestly office. Aaron was a faithful but flawed figure. He contributed to the corruption of the golden calf incident while Moses tarried on Mount Sinai. Furthermore, his sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered unauthorised, strange fire before the LORD and were immediately slain by God’s holy presence. Understandably, the surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar were reluctant to eat of the sin offering that followed for fear of suffering the same fate (Chapter 10). They, and their father, were not totally free from sin in order to eat the sin offering. Christ, who is high priest after the imperishable order of Melchizedek, a higher lineage than Levi, offers a perfect, righteous priesthood that ever lives to make intercession for us and affords complete access to the throne of God.
OUTLINE
Part One: Access to God by Sacrifice
I.         Laws on how to approach God (5 offerings) 1:1-7:38
II.      Laws of the Priest (incl. strange fire 10)  8:1-10:20
III.    Laws of Purity (food, childbirth, leprosy)  11:1-15:33
IV.   Laws of Atonement (national, reverence for blood)  16:1-17:16
Part Two: Walk with God by Sanctification
I.         Laws of Sanctification People 18:1-20:27
II.      Laws of Sanctification Priest 21:1-22:3
III.    Laws of Sanctification in Worship (feasts/priestly duties/blasphemy dealt with) 23:1-24:23
IV.   Laws of Sanctification in Promised Land (sabbatic year, Jubilee) 25:1=26:46
V.     Laws of Sanctification though Vows 27:134
Articles, Prophecy, Teaching

Problem-Solving: A Biblical Perspective

Problems. Humanely speaking, they are as inevitable as ‘death and taxes.’ Amazingly, some people thrive in an atmosphere of challenge and conflict while others feel crushed by it all.
Today, however, problems take on a new dimension: deeper, more frequent, more complex, crisis-riddled and chaos-laden. Leaders today, though often possessing above-average intelligence, are scratching their heads about what to do with the issues of the day. Even wise Solomon would be stumped at some of the global, economic, social and spiritual challenges we face today.
While some problems seem ‘unsolvable’ and ‘impossible,’ let us never forget that with God, all things are solvable and possible. If we are going to exercise sound judgement and leadership, we need to take our cue from the Word of God.
The early church, which initially was Jerusalem-based and 100% Jewish, began to spread into areas inhabited by the Samaritans and Gentiles. This was God’s will all along (Genesis 12:3; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). Yet with growth comes complications. The unexpected yet glorious windfall of Gentile converts to the Christian faith attracted problems in the form of unauthorised teachers.
They approached these Gentile congregations saying unless you get circumcised after the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Remember that circumcision was not the end result but a package deal to more rules and regulations. With circumcision, Gentile believers would be obligated to keep Sabbath, observe strict dietary requirements, and other parts of the 613 laws of Moses. These self-appointed teachers were demanding Gentiles to keep a standard that even Israel, with 100s of years of history, struggled to achieve.
In essence, the message to the Gentiles was that in order to be a Christian, you had to be a Jew first. This teaching caused great distress to the Gentile believers and threatened the integrity of the young church. A Godly solution needed to be found to solve this dangerous situation, before a serious rupture occurred.
The Council of Jerusalem gathered the Jewish apostles and leaders to determine what to advise the Gentile believers. Wisdom of the highest order was required. Fortunately, the Council succeeded and their was a Godly resolution of the problem.
Solutions.
Let’s look at the text and draw some problem-solving principles from it.
Acts 15:22-29 (NKJV)
Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. 23They wrote this, letter by them:
The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,
To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— 25it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.
Principles of Problem-Solving:
1.       Unity: The early church and the apostles gathered ‘in one accord’ (vs. 22, 25). When the decision-makers are united in heart and mind, solutions will be forthcoming. Remember the power of Psalm 133: unity brings anointing, blessing, and life forevermore.
2.       Authorised men: People are the problem and people are the solution. The brethren from Judea who came to the Gentile believers with false doctrine were unauthorised. They were self-appointed and presumptuous. Rather than bringing truth, they delivered opinions and instead of edifying, they placed baggage and burdens. These teachers were ‘the problem.’ Yet, God also raised up ‘chosen’ (v. 25) ‘authorised’ and ‘anointed men’ to be the solution: Paul, Barnabas, confirmed (v. 27) by Judas Barsabas and Silas. These men risked their lives for the gospel (v. 26), so they had credibility.
3.       Divine leadership: God is always the solution! Verse 28 says ‘It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us ….’ With the crazy nature of today’s problems, why do we insist on muddling along, hoping to make the best of it, when we can be filled and led by the Holy Spirit? Jesus says that the Spirit makes things alive but the flesh in unprofitable (John 6:63).
4.       Simple solutions: The solution that was offered to the Gentiles was disarmingly simple – they had to keep only four commandments, not 613!
5.       Practical solutions: The recommendation to the Gentiles asked from them to abstain from four things:
*    A) Food offered to idols;
*    B) Blood;
*    C) Things strangled; and
*    D) Sexual immorality. It couldn’t be more practical or simple.
6.       Humane solutions: Problem-solving means lifting burdens, not adding to them! The apostles told the Gentiles they did not want to lay on them any greater burden than these four necessary, simple and practical things. When dealing with church matters, put aside the corporate mindset, which is obsessed with numbers and money, as well as the political, traditional, and/or religious mindsets. With a renewed mind (Romans 12:1-2), focus on what matters most to God: people and His kingdom. The former mindsets will use, abuse, and totally miss the mark. The latter. ‘kingdom-first’ mindset will be humane and nurture people to great fruitfulness. Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).
What was the final result? The churches were encouraged (v. 31) and strengthened (vs. 32, 41). When this happens, growth and revival will be your portion.

Articles, Prophecy, Teaching

Getting It Wrong While Looking For ‘Mr. (or Miss) Right’ PART 01

For any thinking, caring, concerned individual, we should all be interested in the welfare of marriage and family. Famously called ‘the building bloc of society,’ when marriage and family prosper, everyone prospers, including those unmarried and never-married. The reason is that marriage and family provide stability, nurture, identity, and training for present and future citizens, who go on to make a contribution to society. When marriage fails, it is not just a tragedy for the couple and their children, but we all have to carry the can with increased welfare payments, court costs, societal dysfunctionality, higher crime, and more.
Recently I received some sad news from a long-time acquaintance: their 3 year marriage is over. This person is a solid, dedicated Christian, accomplished in their career, a faithful member of their local church. Having been married before conversion, they looked forward to having a ‘Christian spouse.’ Eventually, they did marry a ‘Christian’ but within a short time it all went sour. Though they waited years to remarry, once done, it was quickly over.
As tragic as this is, it need not be terminal for the believer. We all make mistakes and our faith in Christ can pull us through to victory, provided we ‘follow the instruction manual,’ namely the Bible.
Nevertheless, it is worth asking the question:
How can any decent, mature, thinking person, especially of faith, get it so wrong while looking for Mr. or Miss Right?
More positively, when it comes to finding a spouse, how can we increase the chances of ‘getting it right?’
In this blog, Part 01, we would look at the pitfalls.
Our world today makes it easier to ‘get it wrong.’ Here’s why.
1.    A corrupt, sex-saturated culture: Secular humanism has done an effective job of detaching western society from its moral Judeo-Christian foundations. Add to this a 50 year old cultural civil war between the so-called progressives versus the social conservatives. The sexual revolution, women’s liberation movement, abortion on demand, rise in cohabitation, and postmodern relativism, means our society has a distorted, devalued view of marriage and family. Unless you have a strong spiritual walk, you will be adversely affected by the culture around you.
2.    False gods: Everybody worships somebody – or something. Whenever that somebody is not Almighty God Himself, we call such worship ‘idolatry.’ The Apostle Paul calls covetousness ‘idolatry’ (Colossians 3:5). Some of the modern idols include:
A)   Materialism;
B)   Narcissism (more about this in a moment);
C)   Statism (‘big government’ that will ‘take care of you’ – socialism and progressivism are in this category);
D)   Selfism (the religion and worship of self).
Let’s face it, in Australia, one of our biggest idols is sport. When Sir Donald Bradman died, Cathy Freeman retired, Ben Cousins pulled a hamstring, and/or the horses caught the equine flu, for some it was Armageddon. We even have a public holiday to celebrate a horse race! Yes, sport is good – just don’t worship it!
3.    Opportunism: People who are perceived as being monied and successful will be tempting targets for opportunists – those who want to ride the financial and social coattails of that accomplished person for their own selfish gain. The Book of Proverbs says, tongue-in-cheek, that if you want many friends – then get rich (Proverbs 14:20)! However, when the riches sprout wings and fly away (Proverbs 23:5), so will those friends. If a person is showy about their assets, be careful of those who hang around.
4.    Narcissism: This is about a distorted, fanciful self-image which has little to do with reality. Narcissists love to attract attention to themselves (hence, the posting of 500 ‘selfies’ on social media), practice seduction and rejection, and have no problem lying, intentionally or under their own deception, in order to prop up their desired image. Indeed, the narcissist is adept at putting on the mask and speaking the party-line for a considerable period of time. Some do it so well they would earn an Oscar if they were in Hollywood. However, the facade will eventually give way to reality. The big question: will it come down before you say ‘I do?’ You don’t want to marry an ‘image;’ you want to marry the real deal.
5.    Pornography: This is the scourge of our time. Once restricted to ‘dirty magazines’ in questionable bookshops, the hardcopy version are now going out of business – simply because pornography is freely available online. Let’s forget the notion that born is ‘what men do:’ porn addictively weakens when men should be strong; devalues women and sex when men should be protective, and provides a slippery slope to more hard-core imagery, when a man should be self-controlled. This author sadly remembers a nice Christian man, married to a beautiful Christian woman, who discovered his father’s pornographic magazines in the garage at a young age. He could not shake the addiction. In time, his lust was no longer satisfied merely by viewing the pornographic pictures. Ultimately, the stimuli caused him to seek a ‘3D version’ – he visited a prostitute. The bondage and shame were so great it led this man to commit suicide. Make no mistake about: pornography is addictive and dangerous. If you are hooked and can’t break the habit, seek help (hint: fasting and prayer can do wonders in this area).
6.    No fear of God: When there is no concept of personal accountability towards God, people will do ‘whatever it takes’ to get ‘want they want,’ including nabbing a rich spouse for self-centred reasons. If we took the commands of Scripture seriously and remember, as Romans 14:12 says, that everyone of us will have to give account of themselves to God, then we would think twice before ‘telling a whopper,’ ‘jumping into bed,’ or ‘moving in first.’
7.    Ignoring Wise Counsel: Proverbs 11:14 says it all: ‘Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.’ Don’t try to muddle through on your own, hoping to ‘get it right.’ Seek wise counsel from spiritual, mature people. And don’t overlook family, especially parents. Our parents are in an optimal place to assess the suitability of a potential spouse. This even applies if you are a Christian and your parents are not. If your parents clearly love and care for you, then listen to their counsel. It could save you a lifetime of grief.
Now that we have a better idea of the pitfalls in finding a great spouse, Part 02, which is available next month, we will give some practical advice. Stay tuned.

News, Presbyterian

Meet Daniel and Melissa Dixon

DanDixonPhotoCloseUp

I grew up in Mooroolbark, in Melbourne’s outer east. After finishing school, I studied Accounting at RMIT University where I met Melissa in my classes. I then worked as an Accountant for a sports insurance company, before starting a ministry apprenticeship (METRO) at the RMIT Christian Union and my local church.

Melissa also grew up in Melbourne, living in Oakleigh. She studied a degree in Financial Planning and then worked in superannuation and investment administration. She also undertook a ministry apprenticeship and is mum to our children, Noah (2 years old) and Josiah (born last year).

I became a Christian at Uni while attending a Bible study group at the RMIT Christian Union. It was there I was struck by the evidence for Christianity, had the gospel explained to me, and began to trust in Christ for my salvation.