Personal Sacrifice and Service

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Personal-Sacrifice-and-Service.mp3 Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 2:17-18   I.         Paul often discussed the topic of unity in his letters to the various churches.             A.        Unity based having the same goals and the same standards – Romans 15:5; I Corinthians 1:10; II Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:1-3; I Thessalonians 5:11-15             B.        Paul’s letter to the Philippians is…

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Why weren’t the Israelites allowed to eat fat?

Question: First, I wanted to say thank you for all that you do! Your articles are very helpful in learning the truth of God’s word. I am contacting you today because I saw a discussion for which I did not have an answer. It concerns Leviticus 3:17, “It shall be a statute forever throughout your…

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Why Blood?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Why-Blood.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Hebrews 9:15-22   I.         Let’s look at Hebrews 9:22             A.        Have you considered, “Why blood?”                         1.         If I wanted to clean something, blood is not the first thing that I would think of using. Blood stains are often difficult to remove.             B.        How is it that remission of sin requires the…

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The Red Heifer

by Terry Wane Benton The Muslims have occupied the place of the Jewish temple with the Dome of the Rock for centuries. There are Jews who want very badly to remove the Muslims and the Dome of the Rock so that the Jews can rebuild a temple in that place. Their temple was destroyed according…

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Hosea: A Leader Who Made an Astounding Sacrifice!

by Max Dawson One of the things I have learned about leadership is that sometimes, the best leaders are those who were reluctant to be leaders. Witness the case of Moses (Exodus 3:7-4:17). I have known men who were reluctant to serve as an overseer of the church, as a deacon, or even as a…

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The Blood of Christ

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Blood-of-Christ.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:18-21   I.         The blood of Christ is strongly connected with the concept of salvation from sin.             A.        It has been in the plan of God that Christ should die for mankind                         1.         Isaiah 53:5 – He was wounded for our transgressions.                         2.         Zechariah 13:1 – A fountain opened for sin…

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Poured Out

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Poured-Out.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 2:12-18   I.         Under the Law of Moses, there were many different sacrifices and offerings made.             A.        In fact, they can be downright confusing to sort out because their purposes overlapped each other.             B.        Under the New Law, Jesus is our one sacrifice for sin – Hebrews 10:11-14             C.        But this doesn’t…

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Expecting the Impossible

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Expecting-the-Impossible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 19:16-26   I.         With God, all things are possible – Matthew 19:26             A.        Even the saving of a wealthy man, if he desired to be saved.             B.        Yet, we must understand that some things are impossible for even God                         1.         It is impossible for God to lie – Hebrews 6:17-18                         2.         He cannot…

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In the Breaking of the Bread

by Matthew W. Bassford In the gospel of Luke, the primary resurrection appearance of Jesus is when He reveals Himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. After they explain the events of the past few days to Him, not realizing that He is Jesus, He takes over the conversation. The rest of…

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I don’t understand Leviticus 27

Question: Can you help me? I don’t understand this chapter on redemption and who is paying who. I understand voluntary vows made as persons, property, animals are consecrated to the Lord, but I am having trouble understanding why the valuations and who is paying who? Thanks. Answer: There are times people make promises to God…

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Why was flour allowed as a substitute for a sin offering?

Question: Dear brother in Christ, I am seeking your kind guidance for the following: When blood was required to be shed for sin as an atonement, how is it that a flour offering can be considered where there is no blood present in it? Can you please kindly clarify? Answer: For a sin offering, a person…

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Sacrifice and Drink Offering

by Doy Moyer After Paul encouraged the brethren to do all things without grumbling or disputing so that they could be lights in a dark world, he also wanted to have confidence that, in his own influence, he did not run or toil in vain (Philippians 2:16). He then made this statement using a metaphor…

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The Self-Emptying Jesus

by Doy Moyer One of the most intriguing, discussed, and challenging texts in Scripture is found in the statement made by Paul in Philippians 2:5-8: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be…

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What Is a Sacrifice?

by Jefferson David Tant Have you ever given serious thought to what it means to sacrifice something? We are familiar with the Old Testament ritual of the animal sacrifices that were required. OK, so a sheep or a cow was sacrificed. But have you read the accounts of the multiple sacrifices that were offered on…

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Was fornication not a sin under the Old Testament?

Question: Since the Old Testament had no shedding of blood for fornication, could it be considered a sin under the Old Testament? Answer: There were numerous types of offerings given to God depending on the circumstances. A sin-offering was given when the person’s sin did not have restitution included in the punishment. “Now if a…

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Has God ever accepted a defective sacrifice?

Question: Has God ever accepted a spotted, unclean, defiled, blemished, blind, lame, or sick sacrifice? Answer: “Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you” (Leviticus 22:20). “But if it has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to…

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Did sacrifices forgive sins?

Question: Good day, Recently the topic of “rolling forward” sins came up in a Sunday School class, and I decided to study the matter. This led me to the following web page: Were sins rolled forward under the Old Law? The compelling part of the argument given is Leviticus 4:20, which states that “the priest…

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Made to be Sin

by Doy Moyer Sometimes I am struck with the beauty of a passage while, at the same time, humbled by the fact that its fullness and depth are out of my reach. The passage becomes a never-ending source of thought, ideas, and encouragement. Such is the case for me with II Corinthians 5:21 — “For…

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Burnt Offerings

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/BurntOfferings.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 9:24-10:10   I.         The sacrifices of the Old Testament can be confusing because they are classified in different categories, such as by how they were done (heave, wave, burnt), what they were for (sin, trespass, vow, voluntary, peace), what they were (firstfruits, food, drink), or even how they smelled…

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“May I?” or “Must I?”

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/MayIOrMustI.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 4:1-12 I.         Romans 15:4             A.        As we read through our Bibles, it doesn’t take long notice how differently the Old Law is presented in comparison to the New Law.                         1.         The Old Law contains many regulations that spell out, some times in detail, what a person could and could not do.…

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Doesn’t Leviticus 27:29 indicate that God accepted human sacrifices?

Question: Dear Mr. Hamilton, In Leviticus 27:28, you say Jephthah’s daughter could not be redeemed, but Leviticus 27:29 says, “No person under the ban, who may become doomed to destruction among men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death.” Doesn’t it mean that Jephthah’s daughter should have been put to death and that human…

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Do I need to prepare myself as a priest to fit into the kingdom?

Question: I have a question regarding the practical application of royal priesthood in the upcoming kingdom of God. Recently I got to know one of the elders and preacher in the church. According to him, we are a royal priesthood (referring to I Peter 2:9) and the role of priest is to offer up Christ…

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The Day of Atonement

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2016Fall8TheDayOfAtonement.mp3 by Joe Works Studying Leviticus

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The Sin and Guilt Offerings

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SinAndGuiltOfferings.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 13:10-16   I.         The Law of Moses featured numerous sacrifices and making sense of them can be difficult             A.        There were five categories: Sin, trespass, burnt, meat, and peace offerings                         1.         But they were also grouped in another way: Firstfruits, wave, heave, vow, voluntary, and drink offerings                         2.         They were also divided…

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I didn’t keep all of my sacrifices. Will God still help me?

Question: Hello, A few months ago I started going through a hard time in my life, I had a problem that I, myself, couldn’t solve, so I put it in God’s hands. As I was really desperate and willing to do anything for it, I offered a few sacrifices (yes, more than one) and I…

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Did the skins for the first clothing come from a sacrifice?

Question: Where did the “skins” come from that God used to cloth Adam and Eve? Genesis 3:20-21. Did this skin come from an animal? Wouldn’t this action by God be considered the “first” sacrifice? Please clarify. Thank you. Answer: After God issued the punishments to Adam and Eve for their sin, he took animal skins and made…

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Do we still need to redeem our firstborn?

Question: Does the Bible still expect us to redeem our firstborn with offering in the New Testament? Answer: Jesus is the one and only sacrifice in the New Testament. “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). There are no other sacrifices…

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Outside the Camp

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/OutsideTheCamp.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 13:9-14   I.         Understanding the place of the Old Testament is difficult for man             A.        God is clear that                         1.         The Old Law would come to an end – Jeremiah 31:31-34                         2.         The Old Law did come to an end – Colossians 2:14; Ephesians 2:15-16             B.        The book of Hebrews is mostly about…

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Is it necessary to fast or to give something up for God?

Question: Is it necessary to fast or to give something up for God? For example, I love video games. So does me giving up video games for a week please God? Answer: “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject…

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Why did Moses accept Aaron’s excuse for not eating the sacrifice?

Question: In Leviticus 10:16-20, I understand that Moses was upset with Eleazar and Ithamar because they didn’t eat the sin offering as they were instructed to.  However, I don’t see why Moses was satisfied when Aaron told him that they did burnt offering and sin offering on the same day and that’s why they didn’t…

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The Sacrifice of Isaac

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SacrificeOfIssac.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 22:1-14   I.         There are stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of sacrificing a human being to God.             A.        They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God’s opinion on human sacrifices.             B.        The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence – Genesis 9:5             C.        False…

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The Question of Wine and the Drink-Offering of the Old Testament

Original Author Unknown, Edited by Carl A. Allen and Jeffrey W. Hamilton via The Berean, Vol. V, No. 5,6, February 2010 The argument for the drinking of wine with the Old Testament feasts is stated as thus: “The drink-offerings at all set feasts, including Passover, were of wine (Numbers 15:1-10); therefore, as Jesus was eating the Passover when…

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What happens to burnt offerings?

Question: During the dedication of the temple, offerings were brought. What happens to burnt offerings? Are they consumed by the fire, does the high priest eat a portion, is any eaten, or is it all consumed by fire? Answer: The Mosaical Law contained a variety of offerings (Leviticus 7:37). Sin offerings were given when a…

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How were the foreskins disposed of under the Old Law?

Question: I am curious: in the Old Testament, what was done with the piece of foreskin that is a type of putting off of the sins of the flesh (Colossians 2:11) by the circumcision of Christ? We know that Jesus was the sin offering acceptable to God and as such his body of flesh is…

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Is it an obligation to fast and make sacrifices to God?

Question: Is it an obligation to fast and make sacrifices for God? Or is it just a holy week thing? If it is an obligation, how often are we supposed to do it? Answer: For fasting, see: Should Christians fast? The only sacrifice in the New Testament is the dedication of one’s life to God. “I…

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Were only priests allowed to offer sacrifices?

Question: Were priests from the tribe of Levi the only ones who could lawfully offer sacrifices?  If so, why did the Judges do them?  Noticed that none of the Judges were from the tribe of Levi (using the information I have anyway).  I am wondering about this in conjunction with Saul offering the sacrifice and…

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Were the offerings in Numbers 28 and 29 individual or national offerings?

Question: During our Bible study of the book of Numbers, one of our members asked if “each” individual had to make all those offerings? My answer to the question was to notice the recurring phrase, “besides the regular burnt offering…” (Numbers 28:10, 15, 24, 31; 29:6, 11, 16, 19, 22, etc.). Therefore it is my…

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Has anyone compiled a list of how much the Israelites were to give?

Question: Has anyone compiled a list of how much the Israelites were to give: tithes, offerings, firstlings, sacrifices, etc.? Answer: I assume from the way this question is worded that the desire is for a compilation of all the sacrifices and offerings that an Israelite would give under the law of Moses.  I am also…

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Jephthah’s Daughter

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The story of Jephthah recorded in Judges 11:29-40 has caused difficulties for Bible students. Jephthah, by the Lord’s leading, is about to wage a major battle against the Ammonites. Before going off to battle, Jephthah makes a vow to God. The first thing that greets him from his home when he…

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