Title: The importance of spiritual hygiene

Focus: Worship involves honoring God by giving him what pleases him and not merely what pleases us.

Function: To help the hearers understand that they need to give God what he has asked for in order to honor him

Text: Lev 9:15-10:11)


Intro:
1.  What is worship?  It means honoring God.
2.  The evening’s passage gives us several insights into worship

I.  (Leviticus 9:15-24) God is Holy
	A.  Holiness of God a theme that began way back in Exodus 11
		1.  There has been 38 chapters leading up to this moment
			a.  Preparation of people and tabernacle
			b.  Everything had to be holy
		2.  This the first official acts of worship by official priesthood
		3.  God accepts this first official act of worship
	B.  Holiness of God is once again experienced
		1.  Once again expressed by fire
			a.  God often reveals himself through fire
			b.  ILL:  We built camp fire
				- People drawn to it that not in our camp
				- Something about fire - light, comfort, warmth
				- Fire also burns houses, forests, and kills
			c.  God’s holiness the same way
				- Drawn to a Holy God
				- But like fire, must respect it.
		2.  (Heb 12:18-24)  Tells us more about God’s holiness
			a.  Could not even touch holy mountain (was scary there)
			b.  Moses appropriate response - fear and trembling
		3.  Holiness of God something can never fully get handle on
			a.  1 Sam 2:2 - There is no one holy like the Lord
			b.  He is altogether different than anything on this earth
			c.  So different, cannot even show true form to us
			d.  Told Moses - No one could see God and live
		4.  (Heb 12:22-24) - Jesus provided access to holy God
			a.  Only one person could approach God directly in O.T.
			b.  Now we can all draw near to his throne with boldness
			c.  Things will not always be the way the are
	C.  ILL:  Vacation when growing up.
		1.  Learned about Black Hills gold
		2.  Was a place you could actually pan for gold
			a.  Involved sifting through sand, water, mud and silt
			b.  Separated it from the gold and treasure remained
		3.  (Heb 12:25-29) - God will “sift” or “shake” the creation
			a.  Everything unholy will be shaken away
			b.  Only the kingdom which cannot be shaken remains
		4.  Why?  God only accepts what is holy, and we are holy kingdom

II.  (Lev 10:1-7)  God only accepts what is holy
	A.  Same fire that accepted offering now burns Nadab and Abihu.  Why?
		1.  God insisted on being treated as holy
		2.  God insisted on being honored in front of the people
	B.  What was wrong?  Weren’t they honoring God?  
		1.  Q:  If fire came out and consumed offering, what would you do?
			a.  What did the people do?  On their faces before God
			b.  Isaiah fell on face
			c.  John fell on face in Rev.
			d.  But Nadab and Abihu still on their feet!
		2.  Then they proceeded to do something they not told to do!
			a.  Offered strange fire to God
				- It was not what God commanded
				- Exod 30:7-10 - Was Aaron’s job
				- But what is the big deal?
	C.  ILL:  Story of Bill and Amy.  Fell if love and dated
		1.  They like night and day, nothing in common but love
			a.  Bill athelete, Amy an artist
			b.  Bill insisted they take up Tennis together
			c.  Was that way with all Bill’s hobbies (going to games etc.)
		2.  When it came to visiting art exhibits, going to the opera, etc. Bill
		     did not do it, insisted that they not go
		3.  Same way with going out to eat
			a.  Bill loved Mexican food, Amy allergic to corn & tomatoes
			b.  Bill always treated Amy to mexican on special occassions
			c.  Amy was very limited on what she could order
		4.  Do you see a potential problem in this relationship?
			a.  Bill is in it for Bill, not for Amy
			b.  He had little regard for what pleased her
		5.  Same problem with Nadab and Abihu
	D.  Is there an application for us as Christians?  Do we have priests?
		1.  (1 Pet 2:5; 2:9) - Yes, we offer up spiritual sacrifices to God
		2.  There are things God is “allergic” to and does not want
		3.  Give him what he specifies.  Why?  Love, honor & cherish him
		4.  What we bring him is not limited to what we do in church

III.  (Lev 10:8-11) Our job is to determine what is holy and what is not
	A.  Chapter 10 begins a giant section on holy & profane, clean & unclean
		1.  It involved all aspects of life
		2.  Clean animals, diseases, clothing, houses, etc. etc. etc.
		3.  Distinguishing holy & profane a daily task
		4.  Priest was to inspect and give final word, and teach about it
	B.  There is a sense in which all of life is worship
		1.  Everthing we do and are to honor God
		2.  Sin defiles and negates worship
			a.  (Lev 16:16; 19) - Tabernacle defiled as well as people
			b.  God will not accept what is unholy
		3.  Usually think of unholiness and impurity in terms of sexual
			a.  Lev 18 - Catalogue of sexual sins
			b.  (Lev 19:2) - Explanation of why be holy - God is Holy
			c.  LOOK AT WHAT FOLLOWS
				- v.3 - Reverence father and mother
				- Many instructions on how to treat others
			d.  Being holy involves daily life
		4.  (Lev 20:22-26) - Penalty for being unholy - be dispossessed
	C.  (Rom 12:1) - As Christians, offering God what holy involves all of life
		1.  In a sense, all of life is worship
		2.  What follows in Romans 12 is not instructions about worship 
		      services, but about daily living
		3.  Once again, major focus is how you treat each other
	D.  As preists, our job is to make distinction between holy & profane
		1.  In our formal worship
			a.  Offer God fruit of lips, devotion of our hearts
			b.  Don’t offer him what we want, but what he wants
			c.  That’s why we sing songs to him
		2.  In our daily life  (Rom 12:8-10)
			a.  Means not lying, back-biting, cold-shoulder, etc.
			b.  Means looking out for their best interest

Concl:
1.  Are you fulfilling your duty as a preist?
2.  Is your speech holy, your conduct to other people holy?
3.  Have you become a priest?