Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20080102.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Leviticus: Fellowship With A Holy God
Part II: Acceptable Service To A Holy God, Leviticus 8:1-10:20
A. The Consecration Of God's Servant For Acceptable Service
(Leviticus 8:1-36)
  1. Introduction
    1. To serve God with blessing, the servant of God needs to be consecrated to service, cf. 1 Timothy 4:14b.
    2. A fuller explanation of what is involved is illustrated in the consecration of the priests in Leviticus 8:1-36:
  2. The Consecration Of God's Servant For Acceptable Service, Leviticus 8:1-36.
    1. The consecration of God's servant for service must involve its recognition by the whole body, Lev. 8:1-5:
      1. God had Moses call the entire congregation of Israel to witness the consecration of the priests, 8:1-5.
      2. Similarly, believers who wish to serve the Lord in a godly ministry should be formally recognized to that assignment by the spiritual leaders before local church involved, cf. Acts 13:2-3; 1 Timothy 4:14.
    2. The consecration of God's servant for acceptable service must involve the servant's experiential spiritual cleansing before the Lord, Leviticus 8:6 with 1 John 1:9:
      1. Moses washed the priests for consecration to the priesthood, Leviticus 8:6.
      2. Though all believers have been justified by grace through faith (Romans 3:23-28), all still sin (1 John 1:8, 10), so every believer who serves God must apply 1 John 1:9 for cleansing from sin in his life.
    3. The consecration of God's servant for acceptable service must involve the formal transfer of authority to the servant from established servants of God, Leviticus 8:7-9, 13:
      1. Moses, the recognized human spiritual leader (cf. Exodus 4:29-31), verbally acknowledged God's consecration of Aaron and his sons for their priestly ministry (Lev. 8:5), and put on Aaron the high priestly garments, effectively transferring authority for his spiritual service from Moses, the established human spiritual leader, to Aaron as high priest in front of the whole congregation, Leviticus 8:7-9, 13.
      2. Similarly, Church elders gave authority to Paul and Barnabas to serve as missionaries, Acts 13:2-3.
    4. The consecration of God's servant for acceptable service must involve the Holy Spirit's empowering and guidance of the servant for his service, Leviticus 8:10-12: as we have learned that the anointing oil signifies the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 John 2:20 et al.), Moses' anointing of the tabernacle and its key items of furniture and of Aaron typifies the believer's need today to rely on the Holy Spirit's gifting (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 11) and empowerment for effective Christian service (2 Timothy 1:6-7, 13-14) in the Church era.
    5. The consecration of God's servant for acceptable service must involve the servant's salvation and full dedication to the Lord with his life as signified in the sin and burnt offerings, Leviticus 8:13-21.
    6. The consecration of God's servant for acceptable service must involve the servant's full consecration in heart to the specific ministry he is assigned of God to perform, a consecration to heed God's Word and to do God's assignment in the place God directs, Leviticus 8:22, 23-29: the blood of the ram of consecration was applied to the priests' right ear lobe, right thumb and right big toe to show typologically his need respectively to heed Scripture, to do God's works in the place God directs him to go!
    7. The consecration of God's servant for acceptable service must involve the servant's fellowship with God over time to prove him qualified before for that service by his godly life , Leviticus 8:30-36:
      1. The blood of the 7 consecration rams and oil was anointed on Aaron and His sons each of the 7 days of consecration, and they had to eat of their share of the flesh each of the 7 days, Leviticus 8:30-36.
      2. Similarly, especially prospective deacons and elders must be proved qualified in godly lives over time before they are allowed to serve in office, cf. 1 Timothy 3:10 with 1 Timothy 5:22, 24-25.
Lesson: To serve the Lord acceptably, (a) God wants a whole local church to recognize a believer's service assignment in a formal way; (b) the servant must be cleansed in his practical life; (c) a formal transfer of authority needed for the ministry must occur by the proper leaders; (d) the Holy Spirit's gifting and power must be used; (e) the servant must be saved and dedicated in life to God; (f) he must be committed (+) to heed Scripture, and serve God (+) in the works and (+) place God assigns him, and (g) be of proven spiritual character over time to gain the confidence and respect of God's people!