I'm going to bring a message
today called the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement. When I
read to you today about the two goats, it's the great Day of
Atonement, the bullet for a sin offering. And atonement just means reconciliation. It's only used one time in the
New Testament, but used Lots and lots and lots of times. I
don't know how many I've counted at one time, but I don't remember.
But here, the Day of Atonement was Israel's great day. It was
Israel's great day. All the vessels of the tabernacle,
all the services that they had, all the sacrifices that they
offered, their value, they received their value and derived their
value from this atonement offered once a year. Look down there
in verse 33. Let me show you what I'm talking about. You know,
all the vessels, oh, they had so many vessels there in the
tabernacle and used in the services. And it says here in verse thirty-three,
And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary. Even
the tabernacle had to be atoned for. The tabernacle had to have
blood put on it. The Buddhist table had to have,
everything in that tabernacle had to have blood sprinkled on
it. And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he
shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation. He has to even make an atonement
for the altar. And he shall make an atonement
for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. Everyone on this day had to have
blood sprinkled on them. This is the great day of atonement. This is the day for once a year,
and look with me over here in verse 12, let's look at this
just again, where he goes into the tabernacle, he goes into
the holiest of holies, and this is how God tells him to do it.
He shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off
before the altar, and he shall have a handful of incense being
sweet, and he'll put it on that golden altar that's in there,
so that it will make that sweet incense, and that smoke will
cover that mercy seat. And he shall put the incense
upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense
may cover the mercy seat. Because the testimony, the Ten
Commandments, the law, was in that ark. And if that ark is
not covered, and that mercy seat is not covered, then you can't
be in the presence of God. And that's what the sweet incense
of our Lord's prayer means for us. And look what he goes on.
He shall take the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with
his finger upon the mercy seat. Smoke's got to be there. His
sweet incense going up before God. Blood put on the mercy seat. And do it seven times. And then
he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the
people. And then he's got to go back in there again, but bring
his blood within the veil. and do with that blood as he
did with the blood of the bully, and sprinkle upon the mercy seat
and before the mercy seat. So I tell you, this is only one
day a year. One day a year of the great day
of atonement. This is Israel's great day. On this day of atonement,
everything was cleansed and made acceptable by God for another
year. And anything that wasn't atoned
for wasn't acceptable to God. And I can tell you if Christ
hasn't made an atonement for you, and you haven't trusted
Him, you're unacceptable to God right now. Not gonna be right
now. Right now. And this Day of Atonement
was the most solemn day. And all the year to the High
Priest. Not only to all of Israel, but to the High Priest. It was
just once a year. And I tell you, and here listen
to me, just once a year. How it was a day of the most
solemn day in the year unto the high priest. It was the day of
our Lord's humiliation. The day of our Lord's humiliation.
The day that our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to go to
that cross. was most solemn day between the
eternities as this day of atonement was the most solemn day for the
people and especially the most solemn day for the high priest
because he's got to go in there and he's got to make an atonement
for the people he's got to make atonement for the holy place
he's got to make an atonement for the tabernacle he's got to
make an atonement for the mercy seat he's got to make an atonement
for everything And you talk about our Lord Jesus Christ, the most
solemn day between all the eternities was the day of His humiliation.
He told His disciples, I must go up to Jerusalem. I must be
delivered into the hands of sinners. I must suffer and I must die. And He told His disciples, I
have a baptism to be baptized with. And that was that baptism of
being baptized into the fire of God's wrath and God's justice.
And then he got in the garden and he says, my soul is exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death. Sweat great drops of blood. And
he said, Father, glorify thou me before he went there with
the glory that I had with me before the world was. I finished
the work that you gave me to do. I've done it. And here in
Leviticus, Verse 30, chapter 16 and verse 30, we have the
key to this whole chapter that I want to deal with today. Verse 30 is the key to this whole
chapter talking about the great day of atonement. Look what it
says here now. For on that day, the priests
shall make an atonement for you. This is the work that's going
to be done. And atonement is going to be made for you. Who's
the one that's going to make the atonement? The priest, the
priest shall make an atonement for you. The time this is going
to happen, he said on this, on that day, on that day, God said
today, this is the day that the Lord has made. God's made a day
that Christ should come into this world. God made a day that
Christ should come and do a work for us. God made a day that he
is going to have his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be a high
priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And then look
what the work he's going to do. Says there, it says to cleanse
you that you may be clean. That you may be clean. Well,
who are you going to be clean for? Before the Lord. Going to
be clean before the Lord. That's where it counts. Not before
me. Not before your opinions. Not
before your judgment. Not before what you think about
me or what I think about you. This is done before the Lord.
And then, Lord, what He says, And the purpose that you may
be clean from all your sins before the Lord. Let's look at this. Oh, let's
look at this. Let's look at these things. First
of all, this day of atonement was a day of great humiliation.
Look back over here with me in verse 4, Leviticus 4, talking
about this great day of atonement. This was a day of humiliation.
It says there in Leviticus 16, 4, He shall put on the holy linen
coat, talking about Aaron now. And he shall have his linen britches
upon his flesh, and he shall be girded with a linen girdle,
and with the linen mitre shall he be attired. These are the
holy garments. And he shall wash his flesh in water, and so put
them on." Now you remember that God made beautiful, beautiful
garments for the high priest. for the high priest, and he had
to lay aside these beautiful garments on this day of atonement.
Now I want to show you that. You keep Leviticus 16, and look
at Exodus 28. In Exodus 28, let me show you
what I'm talking about. And this was the day that he
had to lay aside all this glory, all this beauty, this wonderful
gold, all this glorious dress that was made particularly and
specially for him. Exodus Verse 2, look what it
says, And thou shalt make holy garments
for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt
speak unto all that are wisehearted, whom I have filled with the spirit
of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that
he may minister unto me in the priest's office. Now watch this,
these are the garments that he's going to make. He's going to
make him a breastplate, go over his breast here. And an ephod,
that's a garment that goes over underneath him. And then he's
going to make him a robe and a broader coat and a mire set
upon his head. And on that mire there is going
to be a holy thing. They go to holy garments and
a girdle and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother
and his sons that he may minister unto them. Now listen to it.
And he shall take gold and blue and purple and scarlet and fine
linen and they shall make the ephod of gold of blue and purple
and scarlet and fine twine linen with cutting work." Oh, that's
got to come off. Oh, that's got to... You know, when you looked at
him in all that garment. And I mean they had gold. They made gold threads. They beat gold into fine threads
and weaved gold all through that. He had it dyed, I mean he had
a gold bonnet on his head. Gold said holiness before the
Lord. He had it, and all that had to come off. Take off that
gold! Take off that gold and take off everything. And you
get down in just linen. And that white linen represents
the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. And you're talking
about somebody. laying aside His garments and
laying aside His glory to come into this world. Our Lord Jesus
Christ did. He dwelt in the presence of God
from all eternity in all of His glory and all of His beauty.
But when He came into this world, the Scripture says there was
no beauty about Him that we should desire Him. What was there about
Him? When men looked at Him, they
said, Who is this man? He's nobody but the carpenter's
son. Who is this man? But I tell you,
my love, and there were some people who saw in Him glory. Some people saw in Him beauty.
But our Lord Jesus Christ, He Himself, and the Scripture says
that being in the form of God, He thought it not right for me
to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, emptied
Himself, and humbled Himself. And that's what it says, He humbled
Himself. You mean the Lord of glory humbled
Himself? humbled himself. What did he
humble himself to? To be obedient. To what? To death. And he humbled himself, humiliated
himself. And oh, beloved, he laid aside
all the glory and all the beauty that God gives him. And I'll
tell you, he is a day of humiliation. You're thinking about it. You
think of yourself. Look at yourself. How many times
have you shamed yourself and humiliated yourself? And embarrassed
yourself? And your sins are on your heart
and on your mind, and you're just so humiliated, so ashamed
of what you said, what you done, what you thought, where you went,
what you did. And I say it ain't nothing for
us to be humiliated. We're sinners from the top of
our head to the sole of our feet. But our Lord Jesus Christ, He
was holy, harmless, separate from sinners, higher than the
heavens. And so He willingly, willingly come and identified
Himself with us. What humiliation! What humiliation to take upon
Him flesh, and then not only to take upon Himself flesh, but
to empty Himself of His own glory, so that when people looked at
Him, they said, He's just a man! And he makes himself equal with
God. But oh, beloved, and oh, Aaron
couldn't represent the people before God until atonement was
made, and he had to take off all them garments. And I tell
you, when he went in there with that blood, do you know he got
blood on those white garments? Let me tell you what else it
was. Not only was it a day of humiliation, but it was a day
of special sacrifice. Look here in Leviticus chapter
16 in verse 5. And this is something that we
really need to look at here. In verse 5, it says this, Leviticus
16, 5. And he shall take of the congregation
of the children of Israel a day of special sacrifice, two kids
of the ghost for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Now, this is what I want you to see. And Aaron shall offer
his bullock of the sin offering which for himself, and make an
atonement for himself in his house." Oh my, the priest first
had to make a sacrifice for himself. He had to secure his own standing
before God. And he had to do that because
he himself was a sinner. He had to atone for his own sins
first. But let me tell you something. Our Lord Jesus Christ, He had
not had to atone for His own sins. He had no sin of His own.
I tell you, beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ did not have to
secure His standing and offer a sacrifice for Himself. No,
no, no, no. He did not have to do it. Hebrews
7, 27, you can look at it. He did not have to offer first
a sacrifice for Himself as did the high priest. For this He
did once in the end of the world when He put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. And then look what he went on
to say. And there in verse 7. And he shall take the two goats
and present them before the Lord. And that's what you've got to
always remember. Everything here is before the
Lord. We're here before the Lord this morning. And all this. And he shall bring them, present
them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And Aaron shall cast his lots upon the two goats. One lot's
for the Lord, and the other's for the scapegoat. And Aaron
shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer
him for a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot
fell, to be the scapegoat, shall present it alive before the Lord,
to make an atonement for him, and let him go for a scapegoat
into the wilderness." Oh, listen to me now. There the high priest
had to make an atonement for himself. Our Lord Jesus didn't have to
do that. No, no. God said, This is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him. And He said, Behold,
mine elect, my servant in whom my soul is well pleased. And
that priest was alone in the tabernacle. Our Lord Jesus Christ
went alone by Himself into the presence of God. And when He'd
done that, He came back out with eternal redemption for us. Now,
I want you to look at these two goats. These two goats. One was... They brought two goats there.
And they cast lots, and one of the goats, they're going to cut
his throat, they're going to shed his blood. And he's going
to take that blood behind that veil into that tabernacle in
that holiest of places. He's going to go behind that
veil and he's going to sprinkle that blood. The other one he's going
to take out here. And he's going to put his hands
on the head of that sacrifice, on that goat. That's the scapegoat. He's going to put his hands on
that, and then he's going to confess all the sins of all the
people, all of Israel, including his own sins, and he's going
to put them on that, and that goat's going to go off. A man's
going to take that goat and head off into the wilderness with
him. Now, these two goats represent one offering. One offering. Don't you see that? And then
in verse 9, it says, And shall bring the lot, and which is the
Lord, and offer him first sin offering. And that's what our
Lord Jesus Christ was. He is the sin offering. He offers himself without spot
to God, without spot, without blemish, and in at once into
the holy place. He offered Himself as a sacrifice
for sin and put sin away once and for all by the sacrifice
of Himself. And here's the thing, if Christ
put my sin away, or put your sin away, then I don't have it. It's on Him. He died for it. He made peace through the blood
of His cross. He reconciled us to God, made
peace through the blood of His cross. And then the other, and so the
death of this one was our Lord Jesus Christ. Behold, the Lamb
of God was taken away the sin of the world. And then the second
part of it, these two goats were just one offering. One of them
died as a sin offering. The other was sent off as a scapegoat.
And that substitution, that's where our Lord has put it in
our place. It says there, you know, in verse 21 and 22, look
what it says, And Aaron shall lay both his
hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all
the iniquities of the children of Israel, and their transgressions,
and all their sins, putting him upon the head of the goat, and
shall send him away. by the hand of a fit man. And
the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land
not inhabited. In the margin, it says, into
a land of separation. And he shall let the goat go.
And you see, when he put his hands on that and transferred
them sins to that goat, God Himself, the Scripture said, well, I can't
do no more than just let you look at it. And Isaiah 53. I tell you, beloved, He Himself
bears sins in His own body on the tree. He was the just for the unjust.
In Isaiah 53, we're talking about substitution. As in atonement,
He died. His blood cleanses us from sin. And then, beloved, the sins were
put on Him, and He was sent away. In Luke and Isaiah 53 and verse
4, listen to it now, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows. Yet we esteem him stricken and
smitten of God, and afflicted. But now watch it, he was wounded
for our transgressions. Ours, he chastised us to confess
our sins on him. And listen, he was bruised for
our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes were healed,
and all we like sheep have gone astray." Listen to it. He confessed
all the sins, laid them on that goat, and we've turned everyone
to his own way, and the Lord, the Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all. Huh? Laid it on him. Laid it on him. And here's the
day, here's the thing. And this is what makes the gospel
the gospel. If Christ died to put sin away, and then Christ
bore our sins in His own body on the tree, and the Lord laid
on Him the iniquity of us all, then the iniquities of us all
have to be on that goat, has to be on that substitute, has
to be on Christ. And if Christ died to put sin
away, and the blood has been applied to us, then there's no
way in the world that God can come and get us for our sins.
They've been put on Him. That's the gospel. God ain't
coming after me. He done come after his son. And it was a day, a day of solemn
imputation. You know, when he slew that woman,
and he put his hands on the head of the other, the one goat, the
one goat, that his throat was slit and the blood was shed,
he carried him behind that veil. That goat became a curse for
them. He was made to die for them. But that scapegoat, that
scapegoat was led into a land not inhabited. And you know our
Lord Jesus Christ, you know why He's that scapegoat that went
into the wilderness He went into? He went into the wilderness of
sin? To bear our sin, he went into
the wilderness of God's justice, that demanded that the soul that
sinneth there shall die. He went into the wilderness of
God's wrath. And he got up on that cross,
you know why he cried out? My God, my God, why is that forsaken? Forsaken of God. And as they
carried that goat, that goat went way off into the wilderness,
all them people stood there and watched me. Watching him, and
watching him go and go and go and go and go, and he's out of
sight now. And what that meant, that their
sins was taken to where they couldn't be sinned anymore. And
they went off into a place not in heaven anymore. And our Lord
Jesus Christ took our sins into the presence of God and put them
away, and offered His own blood on God's holy altar in heaven
itself. And then he went into the tomb.
And when he came out of that grave, his wife said, Go into
the wilderness. You can't find sin on him, on
his people, or anybody else. He was left alone. And he took
our sins, and they're gone. You see, we was lost. Most folks
don't have any idea how they became sinners. We was lost by
imputation. By one man sent into this world,
Adam. Is that right? And we all became
sinners through what Adam did. By one man sent into this world,
death by sin. Death passed upon all men. Why?
Because all had sinned. Not only did we sin in Adam,
but we sinned in ourselves. But as we were lost by Adam's,
in our relationship to Adam. were also saved by amputation.
Huh? For by one man's obedience, many
were made righteous. God made him to be sin who knew
so sin that we might be made in the righteousness of God in
him. God took Christ's righteousness, and he put that on us. And listen
to it now. And we were lost by a representative,
lost by Adam, who represented all of us in the Garden of Eden.
And we were saved by a representative. Our Lord Jesus Christ represented
us all the days of His life, as that high priest represented
all of Israel that day. That high priest represented
only Israel. I want you to notice that. Christ
only represented His elect, the people that God gave Him in eternity.
This high priest only, only made an atonement for Israel. Only
represented Israel. Christ only represented his people. And then it was a day of great
nearness to God. Great nearness to God. Look there
in verse 12. Again, let's look at this. I know that it says
that he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from
off the altar before the Lord. And his hands full of sweet incense,
being small, and bring it within the veil. Bring it within the
veil. And he shall take that incense
upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may
cover the mercy seat. And he shall take the blood of
the bullock, sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat
of Israel. Then he's going to take the goat
and kill it and go in there again. And he took that blood within
the veil, sprinkled it before the mercy seat. On that day,
on that day, now what he had to do to go behind that veil,
he had to go under it to get under it. Go under that veil. And get in
that holy place. And there, you know, nobody could
see him in there. The only person who could see
him in there was God. Nobody else could see him. And he took
that incense in there first and he put that on that Golden altar
in there. Little altar. Got that incense
on. Put that fire on there first. Then he sprinkled the incense.
Smoke covered that. Then he took the blood and he
sprinkled it seven times. Seven times. Went behind that
veil. And he came out. Activated atonement for himself.
And he went back in to make an atonement for the people. And
he took that blood. Sprinkled it seven times before
the Lord. And all beloved, the veil was opened. And you know
when the veil was opened between us and God? The Scriptures tell us. Well,
you know, I could quote deep, but you know, you need to look
at it in Hebrews chapter 10 with me just a moment. This is such
a blessing to me. That place, you know, the high
priest go behind that veil. Now the way is open for all of
us. The veil has been taken away.
Now we all can go into the holiest place. All of us can now go into
the presence of God. All of us can go. We don't need
somebody on earth to go for us anymore. Christ went for us. And that's what he says here
in Hebrews 10. And verse 19, look what it says.
having therefore boldness, brethren, to enter into the holiest." Now
that holiest is where that high priest went in, behind the veil.
But we're going to go in now by the blood of Jesus. Now watch
this, by a new and living way. That was an old way. That was
a way of death, by sacrifice being, by a new and living way
which He has consecrated for us. How? Through the veil. What was the veil? opened the
way for us into the presence of God. His own flesh! When that
flesh was made a sacrifice for sin, and then having a high priest
over the house of God? Let's go near! Come on, let's go! And the scripture says that when
Christ was on that cross, that veil was about four inches thick.
in Solomon's tabernacle, in the Solomon's temple. And boy, when
our Lord Jesus Christ was on that cross, that veil was going
up from top to bottom. And let me tell you something.
I always thought there might be a mercy seat or something
like that, but I tell you what, that had been taken away years, centuries
before that. That was just a shell of religion.
When that thing was opened up, those folks found out there wasn't
nothing behind there. Just had a shell of religion.
You know, that ark had been gone, and the mercy seat had been taken.
They just put up a big veil there and put on a show. Put on a show. And all beloved, the blood was
sprinkled upon and before that mercy seat. And let me tell you
what that's being sprinkled on that mercy seat means. Sprinkled
seven times means, seven always means perfection. And it's sprinkled
seven times to prove that we're perfectly accepted. Standing. That priest was perfectly accepted
before God. Standing on the basis of blood.
When I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Are you washed? Are
you washed in the blood? Have you been to Jesus for the
cleansing power? And listen to it. Not only does
it mean complete acceptance, but a secure standing. As long
as that blood's before the Lord, we're just as secure as God Himself. We're accepted in the Beloved.
And then I think this may be my last point, but look here
in verse 29. Oh, there's one more point here.
Look here in verse Look what it says. Leviticus. This is the day not only of nearness
to God, they drew near to God. They got into the presence of
God. That blood was sprinkled in the presence of God. And now
Christ's blood is sprinkled for us. We have a complete acceptance,
a secure standing. And then look what it says in
verse 29. This is the day of real affliction. And this is
something we just see nothing of anymore. And this shall be
a statute unto you forever, that in the seventh month, on the
tenth day of the month," now watch it, "...ye shall afflict
your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your
own country or a stranger, the sojourner among you." You shall
afflict your souls. And that's what he's saying here,
that sin and atonement and coming into the presence of God is nothing
to be trifled with. Do you all know where Zechariah
is? Malachi is the oldest. It's the last book in the Old
Testament. Malachi is right before Matthew. Zechariah is the book before
Malachi. I want you to look in Zechariah.
Next to the last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah chapter
12, talking about affliction. Let me tell you something. Conviction
of sin is something that folks don't know anything about anymore. Folks can come and hear the gospel
and continue living in sin. Folks can live in adultery, fornication,
sit under the gospel and not think nothing about it. But oh, my, when you hear the
gospel, conviction, oh, conviction, broken hearts. Men convicted and women convicted
of their sins, whose hearts have been broken, are the only one
who wants this at the moment. They're the only one that sees
the awfulness of the blood that needs to be shed, and the desperate
need they have of it. Look what he says here in verse
10 of 2 Riah chapter 12. This is what God said He'll do. And I will pour upon the house
of David, and that house of David is the house of Christ. Christ is David's son. The true
king of Israel and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the saints of God
and the spirit of grace are given to them in supplications. They're
going to start crying out. They're going to start supplicating
me. And listen, this is what's going to cause them to do it.
They shall look upon me. Me. Who's me? The same one who pours out on
the spirit of grace to supplicate. They shall look upon me, upon
me, Christ, whom they have pierced. You say, I didn't pierce him.
Was your sins on him? Did you care at the time? Listen. And they shall look upon
him whom you have there pierced. And what? And they shall mourn
for him. As one mourns for his only son. Some of you have lost
a son. Your only son. And you know what
it is to mourn for an only son. God's going to make you mourn
just like you mourn for your only child. As one that is bit
in bitterness for his own soul. In that day there shall be a
great mourning in Jerusalem. And look in verse 12. And the
land shall mourn every family apart. And then the family of
the house of David apart. Their wives will mourn apart.
The family of the house of Nathan apart. And every family will
mourn apart. And I tell you, if God ever makes
you understand the awfulness of sin, and convict you of sin,
makes you understand what sin is, like when Peter preached
on the day of Pentecost, you this day, with your wicked hands,
have taken and crucified and slain that just one. And this same Jesus you crucified. God raised Him up and made Him
both Lord and Christ. And they smote their breasts
and said, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ for the remission of your sins. Oh, beloved, everyone in
the Scriptures, now you listen to me, everyone in the Scriptures
who ever came to Christ, they came because they had a need.
And ain't nobody coming until they have a need. That's why
folks don't come. They don't have a need. The old children say, I'm satisfied
where I'm at. I'm satisfied with the life of
God. I'm satisfied with the shape I'm in. I'm satisfied with the
life I'm living. Don't talk to me about it. Listen.
But I tell you, everyone in the scriptures who ever came to Christ,
they came because they had a need. I came to Christ this morning
because I had a need. I came this morning because I
had a need. I had a need for my own sin.
I had a need for my own weakness, a need for my own inability,
a need for my own miserable, wretched, black heart that sometimes
deceives me. And oh, beloved, if you ever,
by faith, and God gives you grace to see the Lord Jesus Christ
suffering for your sin, your sin, And a scapegoat will bang
your sins away. Your heart will be broken and
you'll mourn. Oh, you'll mourn. You know you'll
go mourning. You'll go saying, Oh, God, I
need you. Oh, God, keep me, Jesus, keep
me near the cross. There, precious fountain. And
let me show you this. Oh, this is a wonderful way to
end this thing. Look in verse 29 with me again. It was a day of perfect rest,
there again in verse 29. Not only will you afflict your
souls, look what it says, you shall do no work at all. Why won't you do no work? The
priest did it all. The priest did it all. All those folks had to do was
just reap the benefits of what he did. Enjoy the blessings of
what he did. He did exactly what the Lord
told him to do. He finished the work. And they
wasn't to work at all that day. Christ finished the work, and
we rest. The priest did all the work.
He did it all. And our Lord did it all. He finished
it all. He cried out from the cross,
and it's finished. It's done. Nothing else to be
done. You know, works, listen to me,
works can only bring death from the hand of God. Look in Leviticus
23, just a moment. Let me show you just exactly
what I'm talking about. You know, the priest did all the work on
the day of atonement. Our Lord did it all. He cried
out, It is finished from the cross. What was finished? Everything
that God required of you and me, Christ finished. Finished
sin, finished righteousness, Finish justice, finish wrath,
finish salvation, finish the covenant, finish it all. But
look here in verse 27, Leviticus 23, 27. Also on the tenth day of the
seventh month there shall be a day of atonement. It shall
be a holy convocation unto you, and you shall afflict your souls
and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. Now listen,
unto the Lord. And you shall do no work in that
same day. It is a day of atonement to make atonement for you before
the Lord your God. Now listen, for whatsoever soul
it shall be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, shall
be cut off from among the people. And listen to this, and whatsoever
soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the soul shall
be destroyed. Oh, my. God cuts you off because
you're not Feel the affliction of your soul over your sin? And
it cuts you off because you want to come and bring your own works,
bring your own deeds, bring what you've got, and offer it to the
Lord? Bring your tears, bring your
prayers, bring your sincerity, bring the best you can. You know
what God says it is? It's a filthy rag. And I'll tell you what, worse
can only bring death from the hand of God. You know there's
one man in heaven by his works, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. And you know what? His work was
so glorious, and so virtuous, and so valuable, and so meritorious,
that everything about he'd done it for, does just that they themselves
did it. When we get up there, you know
what they're going to say? He got white linen clothes on. That linen is the righteous of
the saints. Where did we get them? We got them from the Lord
Jesus Christ. And then look what it says in
closing. There in verse 16 in Leviticus 16 again, verse 30.
Oh, what a day of blessed experience. In verse 30. Oh, we got perfect rest. Oh,
perfect rest. Rest in Christ. I quit working,
quit laboring. Oh, what a day it was when I
quit trying to please God and found out Christ pleased Him.
And always pleased Him. And look what it says there in
verse 30. And on that day shall the priest make an atonement
for you to cleanse you. Now, this is what I'm talking
about. What a day of blessings to cleanse you from all your
sins. Now, watch this. before the Lord. All of them. All of them. You know, our Lord Jesus Christ,
when He died, I hadn't even been born yet, but He bore my sins
on that cross. All of them. I hadn't been born
yet, so they had to be all future. But when He died for me, He died
for all the sins of past, present, and future. That's how meritorious
our Lord Jesus Christ is in our sins. And, beloved, we believe
what has been done. Not what's going to be done.
It's already done. Finished. On that day, that atonement
was made. And on that day, they were cleansed
from all their sins before the Lord. And beloved, now we're
clean from all, Christ obtained eternal redemption for us. And
I'll tell you, that's why we don't frustrate the grace of
God. If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead
and vain. You're complete in Him who's
the head of all principalities and power. Blessed is the man
unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. And this is what I
love more than anything about it. It says, cleanse of all your
sins before the Lord. Before the Lord. Before God Himself. The scripture says, if God be
for you, who will be against you? Who's he that condemneth? It's God that justifies you.
Who shall let anything in the charge of God's name? Christ
died for you. They've done that once a year.
Our Lord Jesus did it once for all time, forever, having perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Ain't that right? Our Father,
in the glorious, blessed name of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
We bow our hearts before you, blessing you and thanking you
and praising you for your goodness and your grace towards us. How
wondrously gracious and kind and merciful and pitiful you
are towards us. We thank you for that. Lord Jesus,
we thank you for that blood that was shed that cleanses us from
all our sins. For that atonement that you made
through the blood of your cross. God bless this message to the
hearts of those that are here today. And of all that you do,
I pray that you would bring glory to yourself through us and through
the message in Christ our Lord's name. Amen. Amen.