“The Atonement”
Leviticus 23:26-32
This morning we are here again to approach the table of the Lord
And to again obey the command of the Lord that we
“Do this in remembrance of Me”.
It is vitally important that periodically we return to the cross
And stir ourselves up in remembrance
Of what Christ has done for us.
We were never intended to get too far away from the cross of Christ,
And a safe guard against such a problem
Is the ordinance which we partake of today.
And so this morning I want to talk to you about the atonement.
I mostly want you to see how the Bible commands that we are to approach it.
When I talk about the atonement to you,
Instantly your mind is drawn to the cross and Calvary.
But when a Jew heard the word atonement
That is not where his mind was drawn.
Long before Jesus ever died upon the cross,
There was a foreshadow ordained by God.
It was perhaps the biggest day in Israel’s calendar year.
It was “The Day of Atonement”
The particulars of the day are listed in Leviticus 16.
1) He would bathe his body in water and then dress in linen garments as a sign of humility.
2) The priest would select a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering for himself.
3) He would select two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering for the people.
4) Cast lots for a sacrificial goat and a scape goat.
5) He would offer the sin offering for himself and then take its blood inside the veil, burn incense (so that the smoke would keep him from looking directly at the glory and he would not die), and sprinkle then sprinkle the blood on the east side of the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
6) Offer the sin offering for the people and then take its blood into the veil and sprinkle it on and before the mercy seat. (to atone for the mercy seat)
7) He then comes out and takes some of the blood of both sin offerings (his and theirs) and sprinkles it on the altar. (to atone for the altar)
8) Then he lays his hands on the second goat of the people, confesses all the sins of Israel on it, and that goat is led away to an uninhabited land.
9) Then the priest takes off his linen garments, washes his body in water and puts on his clothes.
10) He then offers the two burnt offerings. (One for himself, and one for the people)
11) Then he takes the fat of the sin offering and offers it up in smoke to God.
12) Then the two carcasses of the sin offering (his bull, and their goat) are taken outside the camp and are burned.
13) Both the man who burned those carcasses and the man who led away the scape goat shall bathe in water and then they can come back into the camp.
And the people are atoned for in God’s sight.
Leviticus 16:29-30 “This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”
Obviously this was a huge day for the people.
The Law was full of condemnation,
Continually rendering you unholy and guilty of sin.
The further the year went on, the more distanced you felt from God,
And to make matters worse, there was always the veil.
But on the day of atonement, at least for a moment,
You felt close to God, you felt forgiven, your sin was atoned for.
This was a huge day.
Now of course we no longer practice that old sacrifice.
Because we have a better one.
TURN TO: HEBREWS 9:1-14
Christ did what that ceremony alluded to.
• He actually atoned for the sins of God’s people.
• He actually bore our guilt…
• He actually bore our sin…
• He actually took His own blood into the true Holy of Holies…
• He actually appeased the wrath of Holy God…
That’s why he uttered the words that no priest ever dare utter…
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
That is why the writer of Hebrews would say:
Hebrews 10:11-14 “Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
What Jesus did on that cross was a perfect atonement.
And so we are by no means
Trying to return into that old sacrifice today.
I have no interest in killing any goats or rams this morning.
I have no interest in slaughtering any bulls.
In fact:
Hebrews 10:4 “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
I do not wish to lead you back into that old system.
The atonement of Christ on the cross is far superior
To anything those priests ever did.
The priests offered that sacrifice many times without success.
Christ offered it once and it was perfect.
The priests offered an imperfect sacrifice that could not appease God.
Christ offered a perfect sacrifice in which God was pleased.
The priests entered a manmade copy and still had to leave,
Christ entered the real Holy of Holies and sat down.
The priest offered a picture…
Jesus Christ actually atoned for sin.
AND THE BENEFIT WE RECEIVE
IS FAR GREATER THAN WHAT THEY RECEIVED.
Aaron approached God in fear on that day.
Now we all approach in confidence.
Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Aaron could only rarely enter the veil.
Now we go often.
Aaron continually stared at a veil.
But when Christ died the veil was ripped from top to bottom.
They had a picture of a possible atonement.
We have an actual atonement.
In Christ Jesus, we are truly and perfectly forgiven.
• God’s wrath is perfectly appeased.
• We no longer bear guilt.
• We no longer bear shame.
• We are perfectly forgiven, and our sin is gone.
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Isaiah 53:5-6 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
Hebrews 9:24-26 “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
What those priests did on that day was temporary,
And absolutely ineffective.
What Christ did was not only perfectly effective,
But absolutely permanent.
He perfectly atoned for sin.
That means when you come to Christ,
The wrath of God is gone.
When you come to Christ, sin is paid in full.
When you come to Christ, there is no more condemnation.
Sin no longer is master over you.
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
And there is nothing more you ever have to do to appease God,
Jesus paid it all.
Hebrews 10:18 “Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
And so my desire is not at all to return you to that old sacrifice
We know as the Day of Atonement.
But there is a very good reason
Why we study that sacrifice this morning.
While we do not go back to that ritual to find atonement,
We do however find specific instruction
About how to approach the atonement.
The passage we read to open the sermon in Leviticus 23
Focuses on how Israel was to prepare themselves for atonement
And while we look to Christ and not to the sacrifice,
The command for how to prepare your heart remains the same.
This morning we learn 4 keys about approaching the atonement.
#1 HUMILITY
Leviticus 23:26-27
The first command Moses gives to the people as they prepare
To have their sins atoned for is extremely clear.
“and you shall humble your souls”
In other words God is not looking at the color of the goat,
He is watching the condition of your heart.
It was extremely possible in Old Testament Israel
To be present at the Day of Atonement
And yet not be personally atoned for.
Just because the goat died, did not mean you were forgiven.
And today just because Jesus had died
Does not mean that all men are saved.
That is universalism.
Yes Jesus died, and yes He appeased God’s wrath,
But not every man is presently saved, nor will every man be saved.
Many will spend eternity in hell still under the wrath of God.
The atonement does not reach to everyone,
But to those who humble themselves before God.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In fact, the proud are clearly rejected by God.
James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Certainly you are familiar with the lesson of Jesus:
Luke 18:9-14 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Humility is absolutely required.
It is not as though your humility atones for your sin, it does not.
Christ atones for sin.
But only the humble are made partakers of that atonement.
• When you come to Christ, you don’t come in arrogance.
• You don’t come as though He owes you salvation.
• You don’t come as though you are doing Him a favor.
It is not as though Christ needs your endorsement.
When you come to Christ you come realizing that
In your own power all you did was make a royal mess of everything.
Sin beat you every time to fought you.
All you managed was death and enmity with God.
And now, having no other plan for rescuing yourself,
You come on your face before God asking Him to be merciful.
If He doesn’t grant forgiveness you will never have it.
It is all up to Him, and you are simply begging for mercy.
You approach the atonement in humility.
And that goes for partaking of the Lord’s Supper as well.
1 Corinthians 11:27 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.”
We don’t come in pride that we are anything special.
We return to this table with the same humility
By which we first approached it.
You must humble yourself before Him as you approach the atonement.
Humility
#2 PRIORITY
Leviticus 23:28
And there again the command is clear.
“You shall not do any work on this same day”
WHY?
“for it is a day of atonement.”
Moses understood the tendencies and the ambition of mankind.
There is always something that we could do to get ahead.
There was always a field to work…
There was always a flock to tend…
There were always vegetables to can…
There were always jobs to do…
But the command of Moses is that regardless of what you have planned,
Or where you are supposed to be, or what you are supposed to do…
It could not possibly be more important
Than having your sins atoned for before the Lord.
Is there anything more important?
And so Moses was calling for priority.
This was also alluded to in verse 27, “On EXACTLY the tenth day of the seventh month…”
We get the idea that everything else can wait…
We get the idea that nothing else matters…
You see there ought to be nothing that takes precedent
Over the atonement in your life.
That is why Paul told the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”
What else do you have to do that is more urgent or important?
That is why the writer of Hebrews gave such strong warnings.
Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”
Hebrews 4:1 “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.”
Hebrews 12:25 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”
Yet throughout the ages we have continually seen
Those who did not make salvation a priority.
TURN TO: Luke 14:15-24
The day of atonement must be approached with priority,
NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT
You must approach the atonement with humility and priority
#3 SEVERITY
Leviticus 23:29-30
I hope you caught the warning of Moses.
Humility and Priority are not just recommendations
For a more enjoyable atonement experience.
They are absolute essentials for atonement to occur.
If you ignore them then atonement will never happen for you.
You have to realize the extreme severity that is issued in this.
In fact, when God gave the command to Aaron and Moses about
The first day of atonement, I want you to see how God started it.
Leviticus 16:1-2 “Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the LORD and died. The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.”
Certainly you caught the death threat there for doing it wrong,
But I also hoped you notice the setting for this command.
God gave it to him “after the death of the two sons of Aaron”
WHAT WAS THAT?
Leviticus 10:1-3 “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the LORD spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.'” So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”
Apparently those boys went when they were not allowed and they presented what they were not commanded and they were killed.
And when God begins His command regarding the day of atonement He begins with a reminder that this is serious.
And the consequences for breaking these commands are severe.
If you don’t come with humility…
If you don’t make atonement a priority…
Then you will not receive forgiveness.
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
You see you don’t come to God on your own timetable
Or under your own conditions.
You must understand the severe consequences
For ignoring the commands of God.
Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”
It is so important and the consequences of missing it are so severe
That WE MUST DO IT EXACTLY AS GOD COMMANDS.
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
We are not talking about a small fine or even some jail time
If you approach the atonement wrong.
We are talking about eternity in hell.
(29) “he shall be cut off from his people”
(30) “I will destroy from among his people.”
And we approach the Lord’s Supper in the same attitude.
1 Corinthians 11:28-32 “But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”
Approach the atonement with Humility, Priority, Severity
#4 SOLEMNITY
Leviticus 23:31-32
The idea here is seriousness.
Notice some of the key words in these two verses.
(31) “do no work at all”
(31) “perpetual statute”
(32) “complete rest”
(32) “from evening until evening”
(32) “keep”
You continually there hear Moses telling people not to cut this short.
Sell out to get it.
• Don’t do mostly no work…
• Don’t keep almost every year…
• Don’t rest for the most part…
• Don’t start late or quit early…
• Don’t underachieve at all…
TAKE THE ATONEMENT SERIOUSLY
When talking about something as serious as your soul for all eternity don’t try to just get by with the bare minimum.
The aim was to leave this day no longer under the guilt of sin.
How foolish to treat it without extreme importance
And fail to receive the atonement.
The truth is that Jesus Christ has provided an actual atonement
For all who will humbly make Him a priority;
Who will realize the severity of missing out
And will be serious and thorough in approaching Him.
That is how you approach the atonement.
And that is how you partake of the Lord’s Supper
With humility
With priority
With severity
With solemnity
TIME OF PREPARATION
LORD’S SUPPER
Deacon’s Come
Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since 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.”
Give Bread to Deacons
Deacon Prayer
Pass out Bread
Matthew 26:26 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
Take Bread
Hebrews 9:11-12 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
Give Juice to Deacons
Deacon Prayer
Pass out Juice
Matthew 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
