Class Lesson April 28, 2013

Hey Gang,

This is the final lesson in our series entitled: HOLY GOD, HOLY PEOPLE. 

As a whole, those who say they are Christians have forsaken the Holiness of their God! We as the church are responsible for the ills of our nation! And its time for us to accept the responsibility for changing it! These lessons have been designed to help us develop a biblical view of what it means to be called to be a holy people. Below are the 4 lessons in this series:


1. April 7 Called to Holiness - Exodus 19:1-6, 10-14, 16-19

2. April 14 Honoring God’s Holiness – Leviticus 5:1, 4-5, 14-16; 6:1-7

3. April 21 Living in Holiness – Leviticus 18:1-5, 20-26; 20:6-8

4. April 28 Blessings of Holiness – Leviticus 26:3-13, 40-42, 45

 Video: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace for Obeying the Lord.

1. Obedience - to God and His commands.
2. Disobedience - wood and stone, money, looks, success, reputation, and security.

Believe God - Don't just believe IN God. Obedience ALWAYS pays off!

Life Goal

Live the life you were designed for – a life of holiness characterized by fruitfulness and faithfulness.

God spells out the blessings of obedience. The background passage (Lev. 26) reveals consequences of sin and of holiness.

1. When we choose obedience there are pleasant consequences.

2. When we choose sin there are painful consequences.

These consequences follow naturally.

We should understand cause-effect relationships in our own lives. We should also understand that such consequences are not always immediate:

• Proper diet and exercise leads to feeling healthier, and
• Saving instead of spending leads to more financial resources.
• We also understand when these natural cause-effect scenarios don’t hold true. Healthy choices don’t always prevent disease. Financial wisdom can’t prevent all big bills.

None of us likes to see a what’s-in-it-for-me attitude. We do what’s right regardless of rewards we will get in return. We do what’s right simply because that’s what the person in authority over us told us to do. How many times have you responded to kids or employees with, “Because I said so?” God is worthy of our obedience, no questions asked. He made us. He gives us life and breath, sunshine and rain, health and sustenance. If for no other reason we should respond to Him in obedience. But, He also knows our hearts (John 2:24). Leviticus 26 clarifies what will happen if we choose to rebel against God; however, He also clarifies rewards that follow obedience. Using vivid imagery that the Israelites would have understood, God communicated that obedience always pays off, far outweighing momentary pleasures of sin.






I. FRUITFULNESS – LEVITICUS 26:3-10

3 “If you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commands, 4 I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have plenty of food to eat and live securely in your land. 6 I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to frighten you. I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you will pursue 100, and 100 of you will pursue 10,000; your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9 “I will turn to you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You will eat the old grain of the previous year and will clear out the old to make room for the new. 

SEEDTIME & HARVEST: Psalm 1 compares the righteous man to a tree that “bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (1:3). Jeremiah 17:7-8 says that those who trust in the Lord “will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.” John 15:1-8 says “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”




How does a righteous life bring a harvest of rewards now? What are these rewards? What does rain at the right time, plenty of food, and living securely in your land mean to you today?

• The blessings described for Israel were physical and material. They were not to be read as a formula for wealth and prosperity. They represented what Israel needed to survive and to live as God’s people.
• God doesn’t promise a life without work. The harvest still had to be done. Nor does He promise a life without conflict, because battles still had to be fought. Also, God doesn’t promise that bad things will never happen; however, His promise is that fruitfulness follows those who are obedient.

What frightens Boomers today? In 26:6-8 what does God promise to do for His people then and now?

• The Israelites had been chased by the Egyptian army across the Red Sea. Also, they were heading into an occupied territory with the intent to conquer it.
• God’s people may still encounter conflict (26:7-8). But God shows how to manage it. Think about times when you have experienced God’s peace when externals weren’t peaceful?

How should believers respond when they live obediently but frightening situations occur? If bad things still happen to good people, what can we say about God’s promise in 26:3-10?

• These verses are not a formula for a problem-free life. They do assure that following God’s statutes and commands brings good results.

Points:

1. The Lord expects His people to live according to His word.

2. The Lord will bless His people for their faithfulness to Him.

3. All that we enjoy results from God’s acts of grace for our good and His glory.

4. The Lord blesses the efforts of those who walk in His ways. This is not a formula on how to gain God’s blessing. Rather they are instructions for living life obedient to God and letting blessings be natural result.

The instructions for living a life of holiness draw to a close in chapter 26 with the Lord giving a promise of blessing if you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commands. Follow (walk) is a word that suggests lifestyle. Observe can mean to pay attention to and to put into practice. The combination of following and observing emphasize that the Lord had high expectations for His people in regard to His words. Just hearing with their ears, understanding in their minds, and even being able to recite them was not enough. The Lord’s word is always to be acted on, to affect life.

1. Statutes – ordinances given by the Lord as part of ritual observance.

2. Commands – are the authoritative orders from the Lord.

My statutes and commands is a reminder that Moses is only a messenger of these requirements, God is the source. Note the word “If” implies choice. The people were to decide whether to obey or disobey, the choice was theirs. In that sense, what they decided influenced whether they knew blessing or curses from the Lord. We should evaluate how closely we are following God’s statutes.







II. PRESENCE – LEVITICUS 26:11-13

11 I will place My residence among you, and I will not reject you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people. 13 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom. 

THE GREATEST BLESSING: what common themes do you see in Psalm 4:8, 16:2, 5; and 63:3?



Under what circumstance have you seen people live out the fact that God’s presence is the foundation of their lives? How does He meet needs when we do this? (Matthew 6:33) how does this show during good times? How does this show during difficult times?

We do need people and they need us (Gen. 2:18; Heb. 10:24) but how does keeping God as foundation make human relationships all they’re designed to be?

When your children were scared, why was your presence comforting to them? Why would the Israelites want to know God was present among them? How would they know He was there?

• Think of a time when you were scared, but an adult presence brought comfort.
• What do you think God’s presence means to a soldier and his family during war?

How is God’s presence a blessing in your life? How does His presence change things? How do we know he’s present when we can’t see Him? Explain the importance of God’s presence.

• Images of God walking with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8) and Enoch (Gen. 5:21-24). 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 reveals the blessings of God’s presence should lead us to greater holiness.

Points:

1. God dwells among His people and accepts them in relationship with Him.

2. We are able to experience ongoing encounters with the Lord because of the relationship we have with Him.

3. The Lord has set us free from that which enslaves us and has set us free to live for Him.

4. Walk with God to experience peace and confidence.

The Lord’s dwelling among the people would mean He accepted them. Not only would He dwell or abide among them, He also would walk among them. This continues the image of His being present, living with them, and interacting with them day by day. The entire picture of dwelling among and walking among suggests relationship. This relationship was deeply personal. 











III. RESTORATION – LEVITICUS 26:40-42, 45
40 “But if they will confess their sin and the sin of their fathers—their unfaithfulness that they practiced against Me, and how they acted with hostility toward Me, 41 and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled, and if they will pay the penalty for their sin, 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob. I will also remember My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

45 For their sake I will remember the covenant with their fathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God; I am Yahweh.” 

What would you say to those who think their sin is too bad for God to save them? What does God’s restoration look like to you? How long does it take?

• No matter how grievous our sin, God’s desire to redeem is greater.

Finality has a sting to it. When you see a senior in high school lose his last game, you hurt knowing his playing days are over. When close friends move away, you know that despite your best efforts your friendship won’t be the same. It’s funny – you don’t hurt when there is one second left on the clock, a mention of a job transfer, or one more chance for reconciliation. Why? There’s still hope. But when time and hope runs out, nothing feels worse.



Imagine how bad the hurt would be if there was a point of finality with God in this life. Imagine how you would feel if you knew there was no chance that God would forgive you. Too many people decide that point has come when it hasn’t. Today’s passage teaches the truth that God doesn’t desire to punish, but to restore.



Christian hope is not wishful thinking. It’s not like tossing a penny into a fountain and making a wish. Hope is an expectation based on God’s character. When I sin, I should mourn that I’ve broken God’s heart and likely the hearts of people nearby. Yet, I don’t “grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). I trust in what may be the greatest blessing promised to those who follow God. He desires to restore me.





The Bible gives countless pictures of God’s restoring His people. Abraham, Moses, David, and Peter are just a few. These men sought God but flopped. What did God do? He disciplined them and when they repented, He restored them. Restoration came not because of the good they had done, but because of God. Forgiveness and restoration are based in God. How far is God willing to go to restore? For starters, read 26:14-39. Notice the downward spiral of sin, arrogance, and pride. Notice how severe God’s discipline will be.





Points:

1. Forgiveness of sin and God’s favor can be found by those willing to confess their failures to the Lord.

2. The Lord remembers His covenant promises and remains faithful to them.

3. God promises blessings in response to living a holy life. Even when we have wandered away from God, He promises the blessing of restoration when we repent and return to Him.

4. Christians who feel they have damaged their relationship with God beyond repair can accept God’s restoration and follow His lead in restoring to others. Pray for return and restoration.

5. God declared that when people who have turned from Him repent and return to Him, He will then restore them!




Verses 3-13 summarize the benefits of being obedient to the Lord. Verses 14-39, which are not part of this study, describe the punishment the people could expect by being disobedient. A unique element in this conclusion is the promise of restoration that accompanies confession and repentance (vv. 40-46). This lesson reminds us that the Lord extends His blessing to those who willingly obey Him. The holy life is not a life of burden but a life of fruitfulness, of God’s presence, and of the promise of restoration.




Blessings are the by-product of living a holy life. They are not the reason we are to live for the Lord. In fact, anyone who lives for the Lord only for personal gain is not actually living the holy life. A selfish, self-serving attitude is in direct opposition to the call to live as one set aside unto the Lord. Believers live holy lives out of love and gratitude to God, who has redeemed them and given them eternal - meaning God’s kind of – life. 


  

After this lesson, my prayer is that you will:



1. Notice and delight in obeying God.

2. Rest in the peace and presence of God, no matter what life throws at you.

3. Draw near to God no matter how embarrassed you may feel about your past.

4. Let God heal you. Practice sincere repentance and rejoin the fun of following God.

5. Refuse each temptation with the knowledge that God gives power to overcome and flee sin.

6. Delight in God’s refreshing, restoring love for you. 

Prayer of Commitment
Lord, You have blessed me more than I deserve, but that is just the kind of God You are. Thus I praise You with words and with my life. Amen.

Be in prayer this week for how God's presence in your life has been a blessing and how we should seek obedience to His every command.

See you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan