Oak Grove Baptist is a growing church in one of the fastest growing communities in the Waco area. We are a community of believers who endeavor to love God and express God's love to others. Our desire is to make a positive impact for Christ on the China Spring community. Visit www.ogbcs.com for more information.
10_11 - The Gospel of Leviticus: When God Visits - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
In Leviticus 9, God prepares to dwell among His people as the priests begin their ministry in the Tabernacle. Through sacrifices, atonement, and obedience to God's commands, Israel is prepared to experience His presence. This moment reminds us that the goal of worship is not simply religious activity but encountering the living God. However, we cannot approach a holy God on our own terms. Just as Israel needed a faithful priest and an acceptable sacrifice, we need a mediator who can reconcile us to God. Jesus Christ is our perfect High Priest and ultimate sacrifice, accomplishing what the Old Testament sacrificial system could never fully achieve. Through His death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven, our relationship with God is restored, and we are invited to enjoy His presence both now and for eternity.
When God's glory appeared to Israel and fire consumed the offering, the people responded with shouts of joy and fell on their faces in worship. Unlike their fearful encounter with God at Mount Sinai, they could now rejoice because God had provided a way for them to draw near. This same joy and confidence are available to us through Jesus Christ. Yet experiencing intimacy with God requires a response of faith, repentance, humility, and obedience. We cannot expect to enjoy the closeness of God's presence while intentionally walking in sin and pursuing our own desires. God has already made a way for us to know Him, and He calls us to draw near through Christ. Ultimately, the question we must answer is this: When we stand before God, will we respond with terror because we are unprepared, or with joy because we have trusted in Jesus Christ, our perfect Mediator and Savior?
4 Oct 2026
10_04 - The Gospel of Leviticus: God of Forgiveness - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
Leviticus 4 reveals God as a God of forgiveness by showing how sin disrupts fellowship with Him and how atonement restores that relationship. Israel had already seen God’s holiness, power, and judgment, but now God provided a way for guilty people to be forgiven. Sin—whether committed unintentionally or in moments of weakness—still misses God’s standard and requires a substitute. The priest would lay his hands on the sacrificial animal, identifying with it as his substitute, and its blood would be applied throughout the Tabernacle. This demonstrated both the seriousness of sin and the grace of God: sin separates us from God, affects our worship and prayers, and cannot simply be ignored, but God Himself provides the means for forgiveness and restored fellowship. Pasted markdown Pasted markdown
Ultimately, the sin offering in Leviticus points forward to Jesus, who perfectly fulfills what these sacrifices could only picture. Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices that covered sin, Christ’s sacrifice removes our guilt, satisfies God’s wrath, and gives us His righteousness. Jesus became our sin offering, His body broken and His blood poured out so that anyone who repents and believes can be forgiven and confidently draw near to God. Because of Christ, we no longer need another sacrifice; instead, we confess our sin, turn from it, and trust fully in what Jesus has already accomplished. The Lord’s Supper then becomes a powerful reminder of that grace, calling believers to examine their hearts and remember the body and blood of Christ given for their forgiveness.
28 Sept 2026
09_27 - The Gospel of Leviticus: He Called - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
Leviticus 1: 1-9
Leviticus begins where Exodus leaves off: God has come to dwell among His people in the Tabernacle, but because He is holy and humanity is sinful, the people cannot simply enter His presence. The book of Leviticus reveals God graciously making a way for His people to draw near to Him. Even its Hebrew name, Vayikra, meaning “He called,” points to a God who desires relationship with His people. Yet that relationship must be on God’s terms, not ours. The sacrifices, rituals, and laws of Leviticus were not meaningless religious practices but shadows pointing forward to Jesus, showing both the seriousness of sin and the incredible grace of God in providing a way for sinful people to come into His presence.
The burnt offering in Leviticus 1 demonstrates that drawing near to God required atonement and a costly, unblemished sacrifice. The worshiper placed his hand on the animal, identifying with the sacrifice that would die in his place, providing a picture of what Jesus would ultimately accomplish for us. Christ became the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice whose blood truly cleanses from sin and gives eternal redemption. Because of His finished work, believers can now draw near to God with confidence, but God still calls for wholehearted worship and surrender. Rather than bringing an animal sacrifice, Christians are called to present their entire lives as living sacrifices, giving God nothing less than all of themselves as they live in relationship and communion with Him.
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