Bible Text: Leviticus 17 | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Lou Saldiveri | Series: Sunday Morning Worship

— Pastor Lou’s Notes —
Intro: You have heard me say times that what is legal in our society may not necessarily be holy and moral. I need to raise the question, how do we develop the discernment to know what glorifies God and please our Savior? Christ followers are called to live a life that is different than the world’s system or culture. Jesus says in the Beatitudes the we are to be salt and light in this world! We are not to bring glory to ourselves, but to live to bring glory to Christ.

If we are going to have a positive influence in our culture and society, Christ followers need to consider the fact the we are called by God to live holy lives. I believe that this starts with the individual Christ follower and the church which then can spill over into the community, schools, and neighborhoods. The question this morning is are we willing to fall deeper in love with Jesus and live holy lives? You may say that i love Jesus, but I will suggest to you that actions speak louder than words. To love Jesus means that we willingly and lovingly obey Him. These chapters address to moral issues that are paramount to holy living.

1. Respect the Sanctity of Life
1. Blood is life
1. The sanctity of life should guide how we treat one another
2. The sanctity of life applies to the unborn and elderly

2. Blood is necessary for forgiveness.
1. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin
2. The sacrifices pointed to Christ’s sacrifice
1. By His Blood we are forgiven, redeemed, adopted, given new life, and new purpose

2. Respect the Sanctity of God’s Provision for Food
1. The sacrifices were presented to the Lord
2. The eating of blood was prohibited
3. The some of the sacrifices were shared
1. Shared by the offerer, the family, and, the priests

3. Respect the Sanctity of Marriage
1. God commands specific boundaries for sex
2. God ordained marriage
1. Since God instituted marriage, He has every right to define its boundaries
2. Procreation and enjoyment
3. The boundaries must be respected
1. Illust: an uncontrolled open fire vs. a fire in a wood burning stove.

3. It is important to note that when a society looses respect for God’s boundaries in these areas, they be come increasingly more evil and wicked
4. God takes these commands very seriously
1. There will be consequences for disobeying these commands
2. Obedience to God’s commands brings real life and blessings

4. Fall Deeper in Love With Jesus
1. We can’t do this on our own
2. We can’t do this by just obeying laws
3. We can do this by falling deeper in love with Christ
1. Only Jesus can change our hearts to produce holy character from the inside out
1. A heart changed by Jesus produces a love to do what pleases Him
2. We love Him because He first loved us.

2. The necessity of the Word
3. The necessity of yielding to the Holy Spirit
4. The necessity of individual and corporate worship
5. The necessity for fellowship

Closing: How is your love relationship with Jesus? Have we become complacent with our journey towards holiness? Perhaps we need to do an individual inventory of every area of our lives and ask the question, am I doing God’s will in this area according to His Word? Is there a difference in how we live, not in just what we say?