Crazy Enough to Believe It (Part 2): It's in the Blood

What if the strangest book in your Bible holds the key to a fearless tomorrow? We walk from Leviticus to the cross and show how atonement—God’s costly covering—turns guilt into courage and roots audacious faith in something stronger than mood or momentum. By tracing the sacrificial system, we unpack why placing a hand on a substitute, confessing honestly, and watching the priest make atonement taught Israel (and teaches us) that sin is serious, grace is costly, and mercy is meant to be felt.

Leviticus 17 declares that life is in the blood, and that’s the heart of the message: forgiveness is not a vague sentiment, it’s a life-for-life exchange. We connect that thread to Jesus as the once-for-all sacrifice whose blood secures a finished covering. From there, everything changes. Holiness becomes response, not performance. Confession becomes freedom, not exposure. And “crazy faith” stops being hype because it’s anchored in what God has already done. We reflect on Scripture that steadies the soul—Psalm 37, Romans 8—and explore how the same gospel that saves also sustains and matures us when plans break, bills stack up, or confidence slips.

Along the way, we challenge the old Egypt in our heads: the habits, fears, and stories that don’t fit the Canaan God is leading us toward. If He covered your past, He can carry your next. If He paid your debt, you can stop trying to earn what’s already finished. Join us for an honest, hope-filled journey through sacrifice, substitution, and the solid ground of Christ’s blood, and leave with a clearer vision of why your steps are ordered and your future is held.

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Transcript

Opening Worship And Praise

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Lord you are more precious sing with me more ghostly more than more beautiful than nothing nothing I desire compares with you one more time singing Lord you are more precious My Jesus you are you are more ghostly more than good you are more beautiful and nothing nothing I desire compares with you God is so good God is so good Yes it so good God is so good God it's so good I know God It's so good God it is so good it so good he died for me yes died for a cover yes on a no rocket tree for he's coming back yes calm one is calming back and he's so good God is so good God is so I know my God is my God is good God is so good and he so good to me Amen Leviticus chapter number four Leviticus chapter number four will begin at verse number twenty seven and we'll end at verse thirty one Leviticus fourth chapter beginning at verse twenty seven culminating at verse thirty one and if you're squeamish fear warning scripture says now if anyone of a common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done and becomes guilty.

Why Leviticus Matters Today

Leaving Egypt And Letting Egypt Leave You

Holiness, Sin, And Sacrifice

The Cost Of Sin And Personal Confession

A Graphic Lesson In Substitution

What Atonement Means: Covered Debt

Life Is In The Blood

Hope Anchored In Christ’s Blood

Scripture Promises That Sustain Faith

One Gospel For Saving, Sustaining, Growing

Prayer Invitation And Closing

Anderson George 3:52

If a sin which he has committed is made known to him then he shall bring for his offering a goat a female without defect for his sin which he has committed he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slay the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and all of its blood ye shall pour at the base of the altar. Then ye shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord thus the priest shall make atonement for him and he will be forgiven. If you saw that say man crazy enough to believe it part two it's in the blood in to someone next to you and tell them it's in the blood now this time do it for real just look at someone next to you and tell them it's in the blood the book of Leviticus the book of Leviticus is a book you don't read often and you don't read it often because it's weird there are a lot of things that God asks Israel to do that don't make sense to us today there are a lot of weird things like dipping your finger in blood and and putting it on home the it sounds weird to us so we don't read Leviticus there are sections of the Bible we don't read I am aware you don't read genealogies you you don't read that Abraham began Isaac and Isaac begot Jacob and Jacob begot Judah and the rest of his brethren you read Genesis chapter 1 2 3 and 4 and then when you read chapter 5 and it says these are the generations of Adam Adam had a son you skip I'm fully aware and and and and you skip and you keep reading until you get to Genesis chapter 10 and then you these are the generations of Abraham and you skip we also skip books like Revelation because it does not make sense to us and so let me help you understand this and then connect it to our faith so that we could be crazy enough to believe it. If God is not who he said he is and God cannot do what he claims he could do everything you believe is for naught so before we talk about having crazy faith we must know what our faith is in before you say you are faith to move mountains before you could claim that you believe God could do anything you must be able to fully own and say I believe it because God is and he proved it to me Leviticus is a book that meets us when Israel has left Egypt but before they make it to the promised land they're in transition and because they're in transition God has to teach them a few things one of the main things that God wants to teach them is because they are his people they need to be holy because he is holy you could no longer act and live the way you used to now that you are a Christian in other words he wanted not just to move them out of Egypt he wanted to move Egyptian thinking out of them now if I had time I would pause right here and say sometimes the problem is not that you've moved from the location that was causing you trouble or the location that you've been fighting with is that even though you've moved physically you haven't yet moved emotionally spiritually or otherwise it's not enough for you to leave Egypt Egypt must also leave you and Israel had a problem because even though they left Egypt there was still a lot of Egypt in them this is why they built a calf this is why every time trouble arose they said let's go back to Egypt because even though they were miles away from Egypt Egypt was still inside of them so God gives them Leviticus to help them understand I need you to be holy and consecrated I need you to be a new type of people because Canaan is not for slaves. When you were in Egypt you were slaves you had to think like a slave act like a slave be a slave but I'm leading you somewhere else where this type of thinking can't help you this type of thinking is not good Canaan was not designed for slaves so from Egypt to Canaan God has to transition their thinking and their behavior so that they could actually prosper where he wants to take them sometimes the reason why you haven't yet made it to where God wants you to make it is because you're still trying to bring along baggage attitudes and behaviors from your last season into your new season and sometimes what worked then what you used then what was good then is no longer good now is this making sense to anybody the faith that you had last week is not always strong enough for what you're going to meet next week it was good last week but sometimes you need more for what's coming you can say to yourself because I had enough faith last week to overcome this that it is necessarily enough for the coming week what was good in that season is not always good in the coming season. So God gives them Leviticus and the whole idea all of the rules that you read not to eat shellfish what to do with milk all of these rules have one thing in common I need you to be holy because you now live around and serve a holy God as a result one of the things that God inevitably had to do was help Israel deal with sin. Because even though he wants them to be holy he understands that because they're human we are going to fall occasionally and so the first seven or eight chapters of Leviticus are chapters that talk about what to do when someone sins we're in the middle of it we're in chapter number four and what we just read says if a man sins unintentionally he brings an animal in a particular place before the altar and before the priest and he has this thing that he needs to do but at the end of it God says it's so that the priest could make atonement and your sins be forgiven I don't want to be graphic but I do want you to get this picture here's what happened God told Israel I need the animal to be one that you raised I need the animal to be one that you fed night and day that you kept warm that you protected and provided because I need you to understand your sin is costly I need you to understand that that when you mess up when you fall short it's no small thing this is a big deal and so I need you to feel that by taking an animal that you raised taking an animal that you provided for and cared for over time and I need it to be yours you can't sacrifice somebody else's animal this had to be yours and bring it to the altar when you bring it to the altar I want you to put your hand on it and as you put your hand on it I want you to tell the priest and confess before me all your sins aren't we glad God doesn't do that anymore can you imagine Sunday morning before the sermon before Lord's supper you're in here with your calf your cows and your goats and before we take Lord's supper each one of us have to line up put our hands in the animal and say this week my sins will I thought bad about Dennis I said a bad word I did a bad thing but that's what Israel had to do because God wanted them to face the reality of how dark sin is one of the reasons why we can get comfortable now is because we don't expose our sins like God needed us to expose our sins in the Old Testament. So it's easy for you to feel more comfortable about doing something wrong and justifying it because you no longer expose yourself the same way. But because this sin was real because it had impact and cost I need you to bring an animal so it cost you something and I need you to say what your sin is so that this becomes real to you. Now what was happening spiritually is as you place your hand on this animal and as you confess your sins this animal now becomes your substitute the animal becomes your substitute but the animal is innocent to get you to understand that this is grave this is serious you had to kill your animal I'm trying not to be graphic but could you imagine having to kill an animal for a sacrifice every time you sin the first time I killed an animal it was a chicken my dad we had some chickens that we raised for food and he would normally be the one that goes out and does whatever he does. I'm inside I'm safe within the four walls of our house but there was this time he says Anderson you're old enough it's time for you to know what a real man does and he took me outside he already had the chicken set aside we had this area where we would perform the execution normally because at this time I'm still about 10 years old I don't have the strength he would normally just take a cleaver and he would do the deed but he didn't believe I had the strength to cleave with one swing so my dad had a bucket that he wanted me to sit on and he placed the chicken under the bucket its neck was outside and he said son sit I sat nothing happened I was still light so he told me stand on the bucket and jump and I did that and I had nightmares for three months and I did not eat chicken for almost a year because when I jumped and and finally sacrificed this chicken what I did not expect was that even though there was no more life there was still activity in the bird and I I need you to picture I I I'm not trying to be graphic I'm not trying to scare you but I want you to see what God is doing with Israel I want you to picture this bird now fluttering in a bucket and that's all I can hear this hollow beating and flapping for what seems like an eternity and now in my gut is this wrenching feeling because I did that this was as a result of me God told Israel I need you to perform the act every time you sinned and you brought an animal because he was trying to teach Israel and us how real this is how serious this is so they brought that animal they had to kill it and then the priests would do the sacrificing and then he says all of this is to make atonement for you so that your sins will be forgiven atonement is a big Bible word it comes from the Hebrew Kapir and you don't need to remember Kapir but atonement simply means a covering but I want you to think of a covering this way the the the idea of Kepair the idea of atonement is the idea that you took your your family to to Olive Garden you took your family to Texas Roadhouse or Pizza Hut wherever you choose and you sat down to eat this was not takeout it wasn't delivery you went somewhere you had a meal and then the bill comes when the bill comes you inevitably reach into your pockets only to realize you left your wallet whole so there's no way for you to cover this debt that you now owe and obviously everyone was expecting you to pay so no one else walked with money the idea of atonement the idea of Capel is one where a stranger or friend walks up to your table understanding your situation and says I got you I'll cover you if you've ever experienced somebody saying while seated at the table I've got this what they're doing Is atonement that's the idea I want you to have in your head because what God said is this sacrifice is atonement, this sacrifice is where you're covered. The sacrifice is where God says, I got you. Don't miss it. I'm bringing it all together. Watch this. Even though you were the one that sinned, God said, I'll allow a substitute. I'll allow a substitute to take your place. Sin must always be paid for, it must always be atoned. And God said, It's all right, the soul that sins will surely die, but I'll give you a substitute life for your life. So now this animal is you, your substitute, and this animal takes what should be your place so that you become prepared, you are atoned for, you are covered. Now, why is all of that important? Meet me in Leviticus chapter number 17. Leviticus chapter number 17 and verse 11. I want you to see this before we get happy. I just took you to school and I'm hoping now I can take you to church. Leviticus 17, chapter 11 says, For the life of the flesh is in its blood, and I've given it to you on the altar to make atonement, prepare for your souls. For it is by reason of the blood, of the life that makes atonement. It is the blood by reason of life that makes atonement, and I've given this to you. God said, The reason why I did all of this, this whole sacrificial system, this goat that you you you sacrifice, this laying on hands and confessing sins, this all of this elaborate thing is because life is in the blood, and it's the blood that covers. I wish I had a change. Life is in the blood, and it's the blood that covers the reason I'm forgiven, the reason why I could stand here and draw near to the holy God is because there was some blood somewhere that prepared for my sins. Let me let me try this side. The reason why you could pray, the reason why you are forgiven now, the reason why God is going to do awesome things in your life is because somewhere along the line, there was some blood that took your place. There was some blood that said, I'll cover you. There was some blood that said, I got you. That's God saying, even though you may have fallen short in the past, you may still have problems in the present, and you may slip every now and then in your future. I've covered it all, I've paid it all, I've got your back, and so my hope is anchored not in my perfection. My hope is anchored not in my ability to be good 100% of the time. I want to be good, but even when I'm not good, I have some blood covering me that I'm thankful for. I have some blood. Anytime life doesn't go the way that I expect it to go, I'm thankful it's the blood. Let me let me come closer because I want to make sure you get this. The reason why you're standing now, the reason why you are here in this moment is because of his blood, and so my faith, your faith, starts with understanding if God didn't start this by covering me, I won't even be here right now. And because I'm convicted that God started this and he covered me, I could now have crazy faith to see if God brought me out of all of those sins, if God brought me over all of those years, if God did for me what he did for me in Jesus on the cross, I could be convinced now that if he did that before I was born, he'll do greater things for me. So I'm thankful for the blood. That blood is what keeps me going. Look at what Jesus did for me in my past. I don't worry about what's in my future, I don't worry about tomorrow, I don't worry about next week, I don't worry about finances because God's got me covered. Y'all didn't say amen. That was I was hoping you did. Let me let me try it again, let me try it again. Because even on a good day, I still mess up. Because she would inevitably say, No. You're human, you have some flaws. I would love to say that I am where I am in life now because of my intelligence, my skill, my ability, my experience, and my know-it-all. But that's not true either. To use the words of Paul, I am what I am by the grace of God, and so my confidence is like the song. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but holy lean, it's the blood on Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. I don't place my hope for anything in this life on me. Because it didn't start with me, and I'm not here right now because of me. So before you could start talking about what you want out of life and what you want God to do in your life, you must first recognize that if it wasn't for God covering you, you wouldn't have a life to be thinking about. There are a few of us, hopefully, honest enough inside here to say if it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be here right now. If it wasn't for God, my story would be different. And it's that realization, that understanding that God covered me and has been covering me, and has promised that He will keep me. That allows me now to have the confidence I have. So when I read verses like Psalm 37, verse 23, Psalm 37, 23 says, The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he would not be utterly cast down, because God upholds him in his hands. I've been young and now I'm old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. When I read that I can have hope for tomorrow, because the steps of a good man are ordered by God. When I read all things work together for good, I'm encouraged because it reminds me God is the one at work, and He's working in me and through me, not just for me. When I read in all things I'm more than a conqueror, it reminds me that God is the one who has made all things possible, is making all things possible, and will continue. And it started before I was born, a long time ago, where he recognized we were short spiritually. And I know some of you are not short physically, but we were all short spiritually, and if you want a good Bible verse, for all have sinned and come short. That's what it means. God is tall, you're short. I know you look tall physically, but we're all short spiritually. God saw your shortness before you were born, and he said, I'm covering you. And so your faith begins by accepting God covered you in Christ when he died on the cross. That's why we confess it. But you don't move from that faith, you keep that faith. That's the faith that saved you, that's the faith that will sustain you, and that's the faith that will mature you. I'll end with this. It intrigues me that the same gospel, not a different gospel, you don't grow out of the gospel, you grow deeper in it. The same gospel that saves you, is the same gospel you need to be reminded of to sustain you in difficult times. The same gospel, not another gospel, not another will, the same gospel that saves you, is the same gospel we need to sustain us in difficult times, and it's the same gospel we use to mature. The same gospel. So it's always Christ on the cross, but it's for different reasons. You need to remember Christ on the cross so that you could be saved. You need to remember Christ on the cross so that you could endure and sustain. You need to remember Christ on the cross so you could grow. The same cross, the same Christ, the same message. Once I could keep that in my spirit, once I could keep that in my mind, God has so ordered it that your faith will grow and your faith will begin to do crazy things. But it begins with you remembering where this started and who has it all figured out, so that when tomorrow comes, you don't even blink. Because you know before there was tomorrow, there was a God, and while I don't know what tomorrow holds, I know who holds tomorrow, and life is worth living, faith is worth having because we serve a God like this who has you covered. Let's all start, let's all start. And as we talk about faith, your faith has to be rooted in who God is and what he's done. That's it. If you can't hold on to who he said he is and what he's already done for you in the past, then you won't be able to trust him with your future. And so this was a call to anchor us in faith to a God who is omnipotent, who is more than we could ask or think, and who, from the beginning of time, before time started, already planned a way to cover you and make sure he had your back. That's the God we trust in. That's the God we need to believe in for tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. That's the God we need to believe in through medical difficulty, family difficulty, through emotional stress. That's the God my faith is in. The God who knows how to cover me. And so now is prayer time. If you just want to say, God, keep covering me. Let's pray. We're gonna sing, and as we sing, if you stand in need of prayer for whatever reason, meet me in the front row. You don't have to tell me what you need prayer for. All you need to do is show up, and we'll pray that God continues to be God for all of us in the way that we need it. Let's sing.