CHILDREN STS LESSON 45 SUNDRY OFFERINGS AND INTENTIONAL SIN.
Text: Numbers 15:1-41
Therefore, Sundry means several, more than one or two. Sundry offerings mean different kinds of offerings prescribed by God to bring a worshipper closer to Him. Our study will:
(i) Examine various offerings in relation to God’s expectation for New Testament believers.
(ii) Identify intentional and unintentional sins and their prescribed punishments.
As the children of Israel continued their journey to the Promised Land, God through Moses gave them commandments, rules and regulations concerning their mode of worship. These acts of worship consist of different types of sacrifices and offerings. Obedience to these regulations will help Israel to maintain close relationship with God and enjoy His abundant blessings. On the other hand, willful disobedience will attract God’s punishment. These things are written for us to learn and avoid the mistakes they made and also to enable us have intimate fellowship with God and serve Him acceptably. God’s desire and call to everyone is that we obey His word and enjoy His blessings. If you are a disobedient child, repent and surrender your life to Jesus now.
1.SUNDRY OFFERINGS AND THEIR PURPOSES: Numbers 15:1-21; Genesis 8:20,21; Leviticus 1:1-4
Offerings were dedicated gifts brought to God as acts of worship. The following are the offerings and their purposes.
(1) Burnt offering – Numbers 15:1-21; Leviticus 1:1-17; 6:8-13; 8:18-21; 16:24.
Purpose – it is an atonement for unintentional sin in general. It also serves as an expression of devotion, commitment and complete surrender to God.
(ii) Meat Offering–Numbers 15:1-21; Leviticus 2:1-9
Purpose–It is a gift presented to God as an act of worship symbolising the dedication to God of the fruit of a person’s labour. This is to show that all human work should be done as unto the Lord and that our daily food should be received with thanksgiving unto God.
(iii) Sin offering–Leviticus 4:1-5; 6:24-30
Purpose – God required a sin offering in order that those who sinned without deliberate intention could receive forgiveness. It requires confession of sins, forgiveness from God and cleansing from all defilements.
(iv) Peace offering-Leviticus 3:1-17
Purpose – The peace offering was brought before God in order to have fellowship with Him, to express thanksgiving, make a vow and to celebrate the sinners’ reconciliation with God. This offering points forward to the peace and fellowship that believers have with God and other believers on the basis of Christ’s death on the cross (Colossians 1:20).
Have you made peace with God or you are still rebellious and disobedient to His word? The Bible does not discriminate between Israel and strangers. The door of salvation is still open to everyone who will come to Jesus and surrender to Him.
2.SIGNIFICANCE OF GOD’S APPOINTED OFFERINGS: Numbers 15:1-31
An offering is a form of dedicated sacrifice made to God as an act of worship or surrender. Many offerings and sacrifices were prescribed by God for Israel in order to distinguish them as His own chosen nation.
The people presented their offerings in order to express thanksgiving and faith, renew fellowship and ask for forgiveness. In most cases, these offerings involved animal sacrifice where its life is taken. All these taught the children of Israel that:
(i) All have sinned and merit death.
(ii) Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Leviticus 17:11).
(iii) God’s holiness must control and direct every area of human life.
(iv) God desires to be merciful, to forgive and to have fellowship with everyone.
Jesus Christ has fulfilled and perfected all the sacrifices and offering needed to bring a sinner back to fellowship with God. He came into the world, suffered, died and shed His blood for the remission of our sins. On the third day. He rose from the dead to give us victory over judgment and eternal death. His suffering and death offer the perfect substitute for the sinner than the Old Testament offerings. All a sinner needs do is to sincerely pray to God, be sorry and turn away from sin and surrender his life to Christ.
3.SALVATION FOR REPENTANT SINNERS:
Numbers 15:22-41; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 John 1:7-9
Two boys named Stephen and Simon were sent to buy groceries from the store. Stephen kept the money given to him in his pocket and ran quickly to the store. After picking the items from the shelves, he discovered that the money is no more in his pocket. He became disturbed and started weeping. The salesman had to ask somebody to follow him home.
When Stephen got home, he was still crying because he was afraid of the outcome of what has happened to him. However, when his father learnt that the money got missing through Stephen’s leaked pocket, he forgave him. The father could also see that Stephen was sorry for the loss of the money and that his action was not intentional. Simon on the other hand collected money from his mom, went off to a snack shop and bought a piece of cake and chocolate bar. After eating the snacks, he returned home and told lies that the money was stolen. The mother discovered his lies, and he was duly punished. Simon’s sin was intentional, a willful disobedience to the word of God. Therefore, he has to suffer for it.
This story illustrates the instruction given by God concerning intentional and unintentional sins. Sins that show a deliberate and rebellious attitude to God and His word are referred to as intentional sins. The punishment prescribed for such in the Old Testament is death by stoning. The New Testament confirms that the wage of sin is death especially for the rebellious and unrepentant sinner (Romans 6:23a). The other part of this verse shows that there is opportunity for the sinner to receive pardon if he repents. For the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23b).
Jesus has offered Himself as atonement for our sins. Sinners have no excuse to remain in sin. It is a wise decision to choose life rather than death. Sinners should therefore repent of all forms of rebellion and disobedience. Turn to God, ask for forgiveness and cleansing through the blood of Jesus. Then accept Jesus as their personal Saviour and Lord.
QUESTIONS:
- What is the meaning of sundry offering?
- Mention three types of offerings and their purposes.
- Explain the significance of the Old Testament offerings.
- How can a sinner receive salvation through Christ’s sacrifice and Offering?
MEMORY VERSE: “And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance” (Numbers 15:25).
LESSON: God offered His only begotten Son as sacrifice for our sins.
THOUGHT: I surrender all to Jesus.
ACTIVITY: Read Leviticus 4:16-21 and John 3:16. Then write out in your homework book, the importance of Christ’s death on the cross.
CONGREGATIONAL SONG: GHS 37-WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD
CHORUSES:
(1) Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life.
(2) On the way to Calvary.
(3) Jesus is the sweetest Name.
HOMEWORK: Tell a sinner about the love of Jesus and invite him/her to church.
BIBLE WORD SEARCH
Find the meaning of these words. You can use your dictionary:
- Sundry (Several; divers; more than one or two)
- Regulations (A rule or order given by God through his chosen people as leaders)
- Atonement (The state of being at one or being reconciled with God through Jesus Christ death)
- Significance (with a great importance)
- Substitute. (One thing put in the place of another) like Jesus died in instead.
