Lev 3:1, 'Now if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he is going to offer out of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before the Lord. 
Today, we have the reading concerning the animal sacrifices, specifically the peace offering sacrifices and how they are to be presented to the Lord. There were very precise methods of making these offerings, as we have read over and over again in the most detailed descriptions and requirements. It was never something that could just be sufficient to make the cut, so to speak. Everything that was done to please God had to be and still has to be the very best of the best, perfect, and utterly unblemished. Every detail had to be meticulously followed so that there was no error or failing in the manner in which the sacrifice was presented to the Lord.
God will never be satisfied with only the bare minimal requirements and efforts given in an attempt to make a compromising appeasement with Him. His Holiness and His Righteousness are perfect and just and must be honored accordingly. There is nothing that will be able to fully honor and reverence Him except the faultless and perfect and utterly unblemished heart of man. This heart is as man comes to Him being covered in the same holiness and righteousness and justification that is by the Perfect and Eternal Passover Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. 
Everything that we read concerning these Old Testament sacrifices and rituals were all pointing to the complete need for something greater and better and permanent. All that mankind could do was to show the utter insufficiency of what we bring to God of our own making. The offerings of our reading were only temporary in scope and ability to bridge the divide between man and God for the short term. 
In that capacity, only the very best of the flock and the herd could even momentarily show God that man wanted to be in proper relationship with Him. There could be nothing less than the fully provided and thankfully offered finest and unsurpassed of the flock and the herd.    
Later, in the Old Testament, in Mal 1:7-14, we have the declaration from God against those who were not honoring Him as they should. The prophet declares the words of the Lord against those who thought that the bare minimum would be sufficient to satisfy their obligations unto the God that their forefathers worshipped. It was very evident that they did not know the Lord God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth in the manner of their ancestors. They were simply carrying out the traditions of their heritage with no thought of the consequences.  
Please follow along together as we may find these words resonating in our hearts with regard to the manner in which we simply do that which is customary and habitual, rather than placing the holiness and the honor and the reverence of the Lord God at the forefront of all our thoughts and actions and sacrifices of worship and adoration. Mal 1:7-14, "You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled Thee?' In that you say, 'The table of the Lord is to be despised.' "But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the Lord of hosts. "But now will you not entreat God's favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?" says the Lord of hosts. "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord of hosts, "nor will I accept an offering from you. "For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of hosts. "But you are profaning it, in that you say, 'The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.' "You also say, 'My, how tiresome it is!' And you disdainfully sniff at it," says the Lord of hosts, "and you bring what was taken by robbery, and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?" says the Lord. "But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock, and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King," says the Lord of hosts, "and My name is feared among the nations." 
Not only were the animals of offering to be the best of the flock and herd, perfect and unblemished, but continuing forward, we read the details of how those ideal and flawless sacrifices were to be prepared in order make it an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. Not only were the animals to be faultless, but it was very specifically detailed as to the way the animal was to be butchered in order to present both the fat and the blood unto the Lord as His portion in the peace offering. Whether it was cattle, sheep, or goats, each one had to be processed in accordance with the just requirements of God.
Our reading this morning specified the procedure of offering cattle, sheep, and goats. There were exact elements in each case that were necessary for the giver and the priest to accomplish in order for the Lord to be blessed and for the peace offering to be effective as unto the Lord. As but the example with regard to the offering of cattle, we reiterate Lev 3:2-4, 'And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slay it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar. 'And from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, he shall present an offering by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. 
Now, please turn in your Bibles to the seventh Chapter of Leviticus as we want to discern the precision of the law concerning what was required to bring these peace offerings to God. We will begin reading verses 11-21 of this 7th Chapter. Lev 7:11-21, 'Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the Lord. 'If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil. 'With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread. 'And of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. 'Now as for the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it over until morning. 'But if the sacrifice of his offering is a votive or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice; and on the next day what is left of it may be eaten; but what is left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. 'So if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings should ever be eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, and it shall not be reckoned to his benefit. It shall be an offensive thing, and the person who eats of it shall bear his own iniquity. 'Also the flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. As for other flesh, anyone who is clean may eat such flesh. 'But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the Lord, in his uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from his people. 'And when anyone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from his people.'" 
  	Notice just how much was emphasized with regard to thanksgiving on the part of the one seeking to have peace with God. There was the inherent aspect of coming to God because the heart was thankful for it to even be considered possible that peace with God could be a product of this act of contrition and honor unto God. As well, there is the overwhelming facet and emphasis on the cleansing properties and activities that were required. There could not be brought before God anything that was contaminated or defiled in any manner whatsoever. 
	This again brings forth the emphasis that was reinforced over and over again, as in Lev 22:18-21. Lev 22:18-21, "Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'Any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they present to the Lord for a burnt offering — for you to be accepted — it must be a male without defect from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats. 'Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. 'And when a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a special vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 
    	The precise reason for this perfection was that it pointed to the perfect sacrifice that would be presented unto God for all humanity in the giving of the Only Begotten of the Father. Jesus Christ, in the reality that He is the perfect Passover Lamb, without any spot or contamination of sin, made possible the eternal peace with God that we now have by virtue of His death on the cross. As a direct result, those who call upon Him and acknowledge that He truly is the risen Son of God sent from heaven to redeem such as ourselves unto the Father, have salvation, redemption, and peace with God forevermore. 
In Rom 5:1+2, the Apostle Paul emphasized this reality to us. Rom 5:1+2, Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 
	Every aspect and detail of what was required in the Levitcal processes has been fully and eternally fulfilled in the perfect work of the Lamb of God. This is, as well, declared so mightily by the Apostle Paul in Col 1:16-22, if you would please read along with me.
Col 1:16-22, For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created by Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach…    
    	The Writer to the Hebrews, in Heb 10:19-22, makes known just how this peace with God through Jesus Christ, the Son, affects the manner in which we are enabled to come into the presence of God. During the Old Testament times, under the Levitical sacrifices, there was fear and dread of coming into the presence of God. No one knew for sure if the stipulated preparations were completely and precisely accomplished. The High Priest, entering into the holy of holies, had a rope tied around his ankle in case he was struck down, so his body could be pulled out without endangering any of the other attending priests. So uncertain was the covering of the animals of sacrifice. 
	That is not the case any longer because of the perfection of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. Heb 10:19-22, Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 
	We conclude with the admonition of the Apostle John, in 1 John 1:1-3, as he makes it very clear that now that the peace of God is ours through Jesus Christ, we not only have fellowship with God, but we have fellowship with each other. God’s peace covers and protects and binds us together as His own in Jesus Christ. As we know Him, so we know the joy of the living relationship that is ours with God and together in Our Lord Jesus Christ. 
1 John 1:1-3, What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life — and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us — what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 
	On this basis, it is our reasonable service and privilege to always bring before God the very best of our sacrifices of worship. We no longer have to deal with all those stipulated regulations and requirements of the Old Testament, but we should desire to show God exactly how much we love and cherish and adore Him Who is worthy of all praise and all honor and all reverence and all adoration. 
He deserves the very best of the best in everything we offer unto Him in word, in deed, in thought, and in thanksgiving. So be it!
'Now if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he is going to offer out of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before the Lord. Amen.

		
This morning’s benediction is Rev 5:13. And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." Amen.