Well, good evening, everyone. If you'd open your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 9, we'll open our service reading Hebrews chapter 9, a portion of it. I got the tabernacle model back out this evening, because before we leave the study of the tabernacle for good, I wanted to go over the Day of Atonement, the high holy day that they observed in the in the tabernacle, so we would look at that this evening before we move on in Exodus. So I'd like to begin reading in Hebrews 9, verse 19.

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, this is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled with blood, both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry and almost all things are by the law purged with blood and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others.

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world, but now once. In the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and under them to look for him. So he appeared the second time without sin unto salvation.

We'll end our reading there. All right, Sean. Okay, if you would, turn in your hymnal to song number 209, and we'll sing Grace Greater Than Our Sin. 209. ♪ Marvelous grace of our loving Lord ♪ ♪ Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt ♪ yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin. Sin and despair like the sea waves cold, threaten the soul. with infinite loss. Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold, points to the refuge, the mighty cross. Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide. What can avail to wash it away? Look, there is flowing a crimson tide. Whiter than snow you may be today.

Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe. You that are longing to see His face, will you this moment His grace receive? Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin. If you would now turn to song number 228 my faith has found a resting place 228 My faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed. I trust the Ever-Living One. His wounds for me shall plead. I need no other argument. I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. Enough for me that Jesus saves, this ends my fear and doubt. A sinful soul, I come to Him, He'll never cast me out. I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. My heart is leaning on the Word, the written Word of God. Salvation by my Savior's name, salvation through His blood. I need no other argument. I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. My great physician heals the sick, the lost he came to save. For me his precious blood he shed, for me his life he gave. I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.

All right, if you would now open your Bibles with me to the book of Leviticus. Leviticus chapter 16. We'll read the first 24 verses and the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered before the Lord and died. And the Lord said unto Moses, speak unto Aaron, thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the arc that he die not. For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place, with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.

He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh. And he shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with a linen miter shall he be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel, two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house. And he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot 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 be presented alive before the Lord to make an atonement with him and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself.

And 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, beaten small, and bring it within the veil. And he should put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat, which is upon the testimony that he die not. And he shall take the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward. and before the mercy seat, shall he sprinkle of the blood with his fingers seven times. And he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring his blood within the veil and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.

And he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions and all their sins. So shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall no man or there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place until he come out and have made an atonement for himself and for his household and for all the congregation of Israel. And he should go out under the altar that is before the Lord and make an atonement for it. and shall take of the blood of the bullock and the blood of the goat and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, he should bring the live goat 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 all their transgressions and all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. And he shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities until a land not inhabited. And he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

And Aaron shall come in into the tabernacle of the congregation and shall put off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place and shall leave them there. And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place and put on his garments and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make an atonement for himself and for the people." We'll end our reading there. Let's bow in prayer before our Lord together. Our father. It is with. Fear reverence.

That we come before your throne of grace this evening. So thankful. That we can come before your throne because you have told us to. To come before your throne of grace, seeking mercy and grace to help. In time of need. Father, how can we begin to thank you for making a way that sinful men and women such as we are can come into your presence accepted through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, without any of our good works added to it, but in Christ alone. Father, how we thank you. How we thank you for your wisdom in providing a way.

We thank you for your wisdom in finding a sacrifice that would allow you to be both just and justifier. to redeem sinful men and women. Cleanse us from all of our sin in the blood of your son. We thank you for your wisdom. We thank you for your mercy and grace that you would take such pity on your sinful creatures that you would redeem them by slaughtering your own darling son.

Father, we're overwhelmed at your mercy and your grace. And tonight as we look at the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ that made an atonement for the sin of his people. Father, I pray that you'd give us a true heart of worship. That you would let us see again, just like it's the first time we've ever seen it, the glory of Christ and his sacrifice, how he sacrificed himself and what he accomplished for his people. Father, bless us.

As we look into this precious portion of your word, we pray you'd bless us for Christ's sake. And Father, we hold up to thee, your people that you've brought into the time of trouble and trial. Father, I pray you'd be with them. We know that these things have not come by accident, but they're for your eternal will and purpose that's being carried out in our lives But father, we do pray for grace for the hour. We pray that you would increase our faith. We pray that you would heal and comfort and father that you would deliver as soon as it could be thy will. Father, all these things we ask and we give thanks in that name, which is above every name, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now, as I told you earlier, we're going to look this evening at the day of atonement. This is the most high, holy, important day of the whole year for the camp of Israel. The word actually means a day of covering, a day of covering. This is going to be a picture of how the sins of God's people are covered. They're covered by the blood of Christ. You know, the day of atonement was a bloody, bloody day. As far as I can count, there were 15 animals slaughtered and sacrificed on that day.

And I know that teaches us many things, but two things stick out right off the bat when you see all this blood and these sacrifices being offered. And the Lord says they're doing it because of the sin, the tabernacle sitting in the midst of a people that's so sinful and all this blood is being shed to make atonement for that sin. First thing I thought of is this, sin requires death. There must be death for sin, either us or our substitute, but there's got to be death for sin. And the second thing is this.

God can only be worshiped through the blood of Christ. It's the only way to come to him and worship him. You know, we were talking before the service about the day of atonement, but Even every day, all the sacrifices, morning, noon, and evening, all the ceremonies and sacrifices that they went through. How many people really saw Christ there? How many? I don't know. I don't know. I know Moses did, but it seems like very few, doesn't it?

Could really see how these things are pictures of Christ, the Messiah, who's coming to save his people from their sin. And as much as I would have loved to have seen the tabernacle, I would have loved to just be able to, you know, be a fly in the wall and see this.

You and I live, in my humble opinion, in the best time of history, in the best time of human history, because we've got the New Testament to tell us what this day means, to tell us what each of these events going on in this day of atonement mean. And I hope that you'll see this as we go through this day, This day of atonement is a glorious day because it's filled with Christ. I mean, every movement of the high priest on this day is a picture of Christ. It gives us so many details of the picture of Christ and how he saved his people from their sin. And our Savior is so great. It takes all of these individual little pictures to be put together to try to give us a picture. of the greatness of the atonement that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And this day is so necessary because our sin has separated us from our God. I mean, the Lord talks about the sin of Israel, the camp all around this tabernacle, and there's got to be an atonement. I mean, Moses and Aaron, they had to even make an atonement for the altar because it's in the midst of such a sinful people. Our sin has separated us from our God. And if we be brought back to God, something's got to be done with that sin. Because God can't accept us in our sin.

And I remember growing up, I've heard this, and I tend to like it. Atonement means at-one-ment. Atonement is how can our sins be covered so we can be brought back to God, so we can be brought back into God's presence. And it's only through the atonement that's in our Lord Jesus Christ, the blood of his sacrifice. So there are six or seven things I want us to see here about this day of atonement. And the first one is this, sinners can only be accepted in Christ. It's Christ alone.

Verse one of Leviticus 16, and the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord and died. And the Lord said unto Moses, speak unto Aaron, thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that he die not. For I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Now God is dwelling in this Shekinah glory and this cloud that is above the mercy seat. And the Lord tells Moses, you tell Aaron, don't you, he can't come into my presence just any old time he wants.

There's a way to come, but he can't come just any time he wants. And I'll show you, if you look back a few pages of Leviticus 10, what this means when it talks about Aaron's sons offering before the Lord and dying. The story's found in Leviticus 10, verse one.

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Now these two boys of Aaron's, Aaron was the high priest and they were priests under him, and they went to burn incense. I don't know if they went to burn incense on the golden altar of incense or if it was with their censer in the holy place, I don't know. but they went to offer this incense, and what you're supposed to do, if you recall, as we looked at it through the pieces of furniture in the tabernacle in the past months, they're supposed to go out to the brazen altar, the big altar there that's in the courtyard, where the sacrifices, the burn offering, the sin offering was offered, and they're supposed to take the coals from that altar, and take those coals in, put them on the altar of incense, and then put the incense on it so the smoke will go up.

And that's a picture of Christ. The power of his sacrifice that enables him to make intercession for us has to come from when he was sacrificed, when he was offered on the altar before the Father, and he became the burnt offering for us. Those coals, picture the the fiery wrath of God's justice. And that smoke rising up from that incense, it's a picture of Christ making intercession for his people. But that intercession, the power of it, is all based on his sacrifice.

When Nadab and Abihu, these boys, they took coals from somewhere else. I mean, I have no idea why they did it. Maybe they liked the fire they built. Maybe they were lazy. I mean, I don't know why. But for some reason, they got coals from somewhere besides that brazen altar. And they violated the picture of Christ. And God sent fire. I mean, you think this really happened. People saw this happen. Fire fell from heaven and devoured them because they came to God in a, in a way that God told them not to come.

You know, I love the worship service. I look forward to it every week. I look forward to seeing you all. I look forward to us looking at Christ and trying to see his glory anew every service. And, you know, we're happy to see one another. We greet one another, you know, big smile, big hug and so forth. But let's never forget this. Worship is serious business. Worship is serious business. We can't come to God just any old way we want to. We don't come to God on our terms, on the way that we think sounds good. We come to God on God's terms. And if we don't, we'll be devoured just as surely as Aaron's two sons were.

Now, that being said, let me tell you this. I'm not trying to scare anybody. I'm not trying to have a hellfire and brimstone preaching and scare you into You know, making a confession or scaring you into trying to act better. That's not what I'm trying to do. The Lord told Aaron, now you be careful. Now this matter of the worship of the Lord is serious, that you come not at all times into the holy place. You'll notice he didn't tell Aaron, you can never come. Just don't come at all times.

But there is a way to come. But there is a way to come. There's a way for a sinner to come to God and be accepted. There's a way for a sinner to have our sins covered, not exist anymore, so that we can be made one with God again, so we can have fellowship with God again, that fellowship that Adam lost in the garden.

We can have that back if we come to God in Christ, but only in Christ. And don't you think it's a whole lot better to approach this this way, rather than tell people, now you better do everything just right or God will get you. He'll send fire from heaven and devour you and scare you into doing something. How about it gripping your heart and your emotions and your mind to hear that Almighty God, the Holy One of Israel, has provided a way for you to come into His presence. Now it's just one way, but He's provided a way Now come, come, come to Christ, come to God in Christ and be accepted. If we come to God in Christ, we will always be accepted because it's for Christ's sake. All right, number two, salvation can only be found in Christ the holy high priest.

Verse three, thus shall Aaron come into the holy place with a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burn offering. And he shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and he shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with a linen miter shall he be attired.

These are holy garments. Therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. Now on the day of atonement, the first thing Aaron did was wash. He washed his flesh so that he was ceremonially clean. You know, you're just going through this ceremony, to be a picture of Christ. He was ceremonially cleaned to be a picture of the holiness and the purity of Christ. But I love this. When Aaron, on the Day of Atonement, after he washed his flesh, he didn't put on his glorious high priestly garments with that, the curious girdle with all the colors in it and the ephod and the breastplate.

He didn't put any of that on. He was just dressed in the white pants and shirt and miter that all the younger priests, all the under priests, whatever you want to call them, just like all the other priests were dressed. He didn't look like the, he wasn't dressed like the high priest. You could identify him so easily as the high priest because he wasn't wearing the high priest garment. He was wearing the garments just like all the other priests that served under him did.

And you know what all that is, it's a picture, isn't it? Of the holiness of Christ. He was holy inside and out. But this is also a picture of the humiliation of Christ. When he came to earth, he came as a man. He took off his glory as a son of God and clothed himself with the weakness of human flesh. Without sin, but he confined himself to the weakness of human flesh. And even though he laid aside his glory, so that if you saw him, you'd think he's just another man. He didn't look, you know, there wasn't a glow around his head or anything. He looked just like any other man.

But if God gave you eyes to see, you'd see this man's holy. He's holy. He's the holy high priest. And if God's going to accept you and me, not only does our sacrifice have to be without sin, but the high priest who offers the sacrifice has to be holy.

That's why Aaron washed and put on these white garments. And look at verse six. Now, Aaron was ceremonially clean, but he was still a sinful man, wasn't he? Verse six. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself. And he'll make an atonement for himself and for his house. See, the first thing Aaron had to do is offer a sacrifice for himself, so that his sin would be ceremonially covered. Now he can be a picture of Christ, our holy high priest. But he had to do that to be a picture of Christ.

But just like we see, I mean, I love the Old Testament pictures of Christ. I mean, I could preach from them every week. I love them. But Christ is always so much better than the picture. The writer to the Hebrews tells us Christ didn't have to first offer a sacrifice for his own sins and then for the people's because he didn't have any. He in himself already is the sinless high priest.

But now think about Aaron on this day. I try to think like this sometimes as I'm reading these stories of people in scripture. These are real people, real men, real women. Aaron was a whole lot like you and me. And while he's doing all that he is commanded to do on the day of atonement, the whole nation of Israel is depending on that one man.

He's got to do everything right. So many times it says here, the Lord says, you do this, that you die not. You do this, that you die not. If Aaron messes up and does something wrong, not only will Aaron die, but the whole nation is, very likely to be destroyed, aren't they? The whole nation is depending upon him.

Whether we know it or not, every son of Adam is completely dependent on one man, on the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy man. He's the only one who's able to offer a sacrifice for sins that can bring us back to God. And if you trust him, You trust, if you trust the Lord Jesus Christ, you have no sin. Your sin is covered because your great high priest has offered the sacrifice to make atonement for your sins, to cover them. They're gone, so that you can be brought back into God's presence. If you trust, if God's, you think what a gift it is when God gives somebody the gift of faith in Christ.

They lay hold on Christ, their sin's gone. They can come, it's so much better than Aaron. The Lord told Aaron, don't you come into my presence at all times, just any time you want. You know what God tells us today? You come into my presence any time you want. Through the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll accept you. I'll hear you. What a blessing that is. Then third, I see this. Salvation can only be found in Christ our sacrifice.

Verse seven says that he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell and offer him for a sin offering. Now here they had these two goats and they cast lots somehow. I don't exactly know how they did it, but when they cast lots, it revealed the Lord's will. Which one of these goats is a scapegoat? Which one is the sin offering? Long before God created anything, He already appointed the Savior of His people. He appointed His Son, the only one who could do the job. And He revealed His will when He sent His Son in the flesh.

You know, most people, most of those children of Israel, I mean, I don't know how many of them had faith in Christ. How many of them could see these pictures and look forward and see faith in Christ? It's like, you know, Brandon was saying before the service that most of the time they're just scared. It's just, it's just fear of the law, fear I do something wrong. God's going to send fire and devour me just like he did Nadab and Abihu, you know? And maybe people thought, and I know they did. I know the Pharisees thought this and taught the people this. Oh, the way you'd be saved is you'd be a Jew. The way that you are saved is you follow all these ceremonies and you tie the right amount and you do all these ceremonies and you do everything just right.

And then God sent his son into the world and told everybody, look at him. Here he is. I mean, the father spoke audibly from heaven. You can't miss it. This is my beloved son and whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye him, hear ye him. God revealed what his eternal will was, salvations in my son. I sent my son to this world and he sent angels to tell his mother and his stepfather what he was there to do, save his people from their sin. The father revealed his will.

And after a life of perfect obedience where he did nothing but please his father, Christ went to the cross. And he suffered and died. He suffered and died the most painful, humiliating death that men could come up to put him through. And the father plunged the sword of justice into the heart of his fellow.

You know why that happened? Why did that happen to that perfect man? Because the father, and we'll look at this in a minute, took the sin of his people and put them on his son. And by his sacrifice, By His blood, He put all of that sin away. He made atonement. He covered that sin with His precious blood.

I'm convinced that the Lord uses this word cover in the scriptures to tell us about covering our sin because there's gotta be some way to describe it to our weakness. But you know, usually if something's covered, it's still there. You just can't see it, right? When the blood of Christ has covered the sin of God's elect, it's gone. And here's how I know it's gone. God who sees everything can't see it. Now, if God can't see it, it's because it doesn't exist. The blood of Christ made the sin of his people to not exist.

Now, you lay down to bed, to go to sleep tonight, think about that. I don't know if you're like me. I can't turn my mind off. I mean, especially, boy, I tell Janet, I try to go to sleep. Janet lays down to go to sleep. I have to try to go to sleep. And my mind just whirling, you know, and it never automatically goes to anything good. It automatically goes to, you know, something bad. Something I'm afraid is going to happen, you know, whatever. Put that thought out of your mind. If you're like me, put that thought out of your mind and think on this.

If you trust Christ, if he suffered and died for you, your sin's gone. There is no reason at all for the father to be angry with you because Christ made peace. by the blood of his Christ. You're at peace with God. God's at peace with you. Oh, let that settle into your soul. This is a blessing every believer has. Now don't just bypass it. Enjoy it. Enjoy it. What a blessing. Salvation is only in the sacrifice of Christ. But now what a sacrifice. What a sacrifice. Then fourth, I see this. Salvation's only found in Christ our mediator.

Verse 12 says that he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord. That means the brazen altar out there in the courtyard. And his hands full of sweet incense, beaten small, and bring it within the veil. And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not. Now Aaron would go out and get these coals from off the brazen altar and he'd put them in his censer. And then he'd take that censer in one hand and incense beaten small with the other. And he'd go, I don't know if he crawled under or he went around the veil.

Somehow he went around the veil into the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant is, where the Mercy Seat is. And he put that, once he was in there, he put that incense on those coals, and that sweet smoke would fill the room. Now those, that smoke is a picture of the intercession of Christ. And like I said, this was Nadab and Abihu's problem. They offer strange fire. They didn't get fire from off the brazen altar.

But when God's justice has been satisfied, That's what enables Christ to make intercession for his people. And the power of his intercession comes from his sacrifice for sin. When our Savior, our mediator, makes intercession for us, he doesn't say, well, Father, they didn't mean it. You know, Father, they won't do it again. You know, I'll give them a whooping, and then they'll learn that they won't do it again, because we will do it again, and we did mean it. No, when Christ makes atonement, or makes intercession for the sin of his people, all he does is plead his sacrifice.

And the Father always says, forgiven. Now again, think about Aaron just as a man. I mean, he's an ordinary man like you and me. You think of the fear that had to be in his heart when he went around that veil. And there's the mercy seat. There's the Ark of the Covenant. There's the Shekinah glory of God. What man can go in there and live? What man can go in there? He had to be so full of fear. If I misstep, God's going to kill me. If I do this in the wrong order, God's going to kill me. He's so full of fear. How much better? I ask you now, really, how much better do you have it than Aaron did?

I mean, it'd be something to say, I saw the mercy seat. I saw the Ark of the Covenant. I was in there. I mean, I highly doubt that Aaron just looks straight at the Shekinah glory of God. I mean, he's probably hiding his eyes. He's full of fear. But to say, yeah, I was in that small room with the Ark of the Covenant. But when he was there, he's so full of fear, wasn't he?

If you trust Christ, my brother and my sister, put your fears away. Put your fears away. At this very moment, while we're attempting to look into God's word and attempting to learn more of him and attempting to worship him and attempting to glorify his name, there's been enough sin in this room in the last two seconds to condemn millions of worlds to hell. So even now, I mean, when our sin is the most, if I can say it this way, the most shameful in the midst of a worship service, aren't you ashamed? This is awful. But you know what our Savior, what our mediator is doing at this very second?

He's making intercession for us as we sit here. And if he's making intercession for us, we'll always be found innocent. We'll always Be found righteous. If Christ is pleading his sacrifice for you, you cannot be condemned. You cannot. And when you close your eyes in this life, you know where you're gonna open them? In the presence of the Savior. I forgot what I was afraid of. Did you? If you think about that, isn't that wonderful? Then fifth, there's atonement only in the blood of Christ. It's the blood, it's the blood, it's the blood, it's the blood, it's the blood of Christ.

Verse 14, and he shall take of the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward. Before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring his blood within the veil. and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.

And he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions and all their sins. So shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. Now, like I said earlier, this day of atonement is a bloody day. But it had to be, because what did God say about our sin?

It's the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. It's the blood. And this blood is not offered to you and me. This blood is offered before the Lord. I don't know how many times in scripture it says about the blood before the Lord, the blood before the Lord. The blood has to be offered to the Lord as a payment for the sin of his people, the sin that's against him. And the only blood that the father will ever be satisfied with is the pure, sinless blood of Christ. And the blood of Christ, the blood of one man is so precious. It paid for all of the sin of all of God's elect.

Put it away to where it does not exist anymore. Now Aaron took that blood, but then he had to take the blood. He killed the animal, the bullock or the goat or the ram, whatever it was out there by the altar. But if he stopped there, there's no salvation. He had to take that blood and bring it before the Lord. He had to take that blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat. And I'll tell you why he did that.

Because mercy from God can only come from the blood of Christ. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. The only way God can give you and me what we don't deserve is if he gave Christ our substitute what he deserved. And his blood is the evidence. He suffered and died in my place. He took the punishment that I deserve. And when that blood is brought before the Lord, the blood of Christ is so precious. It makes it right for God to show mercy to sinners like you and me. and to forgive our sin. Then here's the sixth thing, this atonement, covering for sin.

It's Christ alone, verse 17. And there should be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement for the holy place until he come out and have made an atonement for himself and for his household and for all the congregation of Israel. Now all through this day of atonement, until everything was done, The high priest was alone in the tabernacle. He was in there all alone.

And you think what a huge weight of responsibility that was on that high priest. The whole nation depended upon him. I mean, I'd be so nervous. I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't have been cut out to be the high priest, I reckon. I'd have been so nervous. I don't know if I could function.

But he did it. And he did it as a picture of Christ who did the work of the redemption of his people all by himself. He atoned, he covered, he put away all of the sin of all of his people by himself. He lived a life of perfect obedience and his obedience alone is the righteousness of his people.

It's not Well, yes, Christ's righteousness, but now I've got to live a good Christian life, and I've got to do this, and I've got to do this, and then I'll consider myself righteous. No, if I start adding my works to Christ, I've ruined it. I've ruined his righteousness. It's either all of works or all of grace.

That's what Paul said. It's the obedience of Christ alone. Christ suffered alone. When he made himself an offering for sin, he suffered alone. Now you think what a huge weight of responsibility that is. But Christ our Savior could bear it. He's the only one that could carry the burden of the sin of his people and carry the burden of the sacrifice to put their sin away and he did it alone. Alone. The simplicity, we talk about the simplicity of the gospel. It means the singleness of Christ. It's Christ alone. And if you are so simple that your only hope is Christ alone, Almighty God has covered your sin. Then here's the seventh thing.

Atonement is found in Christ our scapegoat, verse 20. And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, he should bring the live goat. 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 all their transgressions, and all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited, and he shall let go of the goat in the wilderness.

Now this laying on of hands is such an important thing for us to understand. The laying on of hands is not something that we do today. We lay our hands on somebody and somehow give them gifts to do whatever, serve as a preacher, an elder, or whatever. I don't know. But there's nothing to that. As Brother Henry said, that's laying our empty hands on your empty head. It's not going to do anybody any good.

But this laying on of hands, when Aaron did it, it meant something. It's the symbolic transfer of sin from the people to that goat. And when Aaron got done, and this is the way I think, I don't know, I can't say maybe I'm weird, I am weird, I know, but this is the way I think. How long did that take? Him laying his hands on that goat, I mean, what are you gonna say? Everything we've ever done is sinful, you know?

But after he finished that, a fit man, A fit man. A man who was fit for the job took that goat, probably some sort of leash he had on it, and he led it away. And the children of Israel stood and watched that man walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk until he's completely out of sight. And he stays gone for a while. Once he's out of sight, he keeps walking. And he goes to a land uninhabited, and he lets that goat go. And then he walks back. And they're waiting. They're waiting. They're waiting. Finally they see him way out there in the distance. And they're squinting and they're looking. You know what they want to know?

Is that goat trailing him? If that goat's trailing him, my sins are trailing him and my sins are coming back. And they wanted to see, is he alone or has he got that goat with him? And every time that fit man came back, he was alone. The goat was gone.

Now that's such a great picture of Christ, our high priest. He transferred the sins of his people to himself. See, he's the fit man. He's the scapegoat. He's the high priest that offered the sacrifice. He's the bullock and the ram and the sheep and the goat that were offered as a sin offering. He's the altar upon which they're offered. Christ is all. He's all of this.

And he transferred the sin of his people to himself, and just like that scapegoat, he bore it. He bore it in his own body, on the tree, and he took it away to a land uninhabited. He took it away. It's gone because his blood put it away. His blood made it not to exist.

And Christ is the fit man. He's the only one who had the strength to bear the sins of his people. Scripture calls God's elect a number no man can number. I can't bear my sin. You think of this man, the fit man. who bore all of the sin of all of his people and put it away. You know, earlier I mentioned to you, just comfort yourself with this thought. If Christ died for you, your sin's gone. It does not exist.

Now that sounds confusing to someone who doesn't trust Christ. Because when I look at myself, All I see is sin. I mean, there's just so much sin in me. Everywhere you look, you see sin. But scripture tells me God doesn't see it. And you know what? Gary, that's all that matters. God doesn't see it. Now let that sink in so there's no fear of condemnation. There's no fear of judgment. You're coming to God in Christ.

In all of this picture on the Day of Atonement, it ends here with Christ, the mighty, successful, victorious Savior. Verse 23, and Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he had put on when he went into the holy place, and he shall leave them there, and he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments. He's putting back on now all these glorious garments of the high priest and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the, his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people.

Now when everything God commanded to be done was done, Aaron went back into the holy place and he took off those garments that were just like the garments that all the, the other priests, minor priests, the priests who are not the high priests. He took that off and he left them there and they were never used again. The next year on the Day of Atonement, they made a whole new set of clothes for him to wear. Those clothes were never used again.

And before Aaron appeared back in front of the people again, He put on all those glorious garments of the high priest with the ephod and the girdle that no matter which way you turn, it looks like all these different colors in it. And he had on all these glorious garments. He's the high priest again.

Well, that's a picture of our successful Savior. Christ appeared as a servant one time. One time. Now the sacrifice is finished. Atonement. has been made, and Christ is not the lowly servant anymore. Now he's the king. He's the king of glory in all of his glory, in all of his power, ruling and reigning over all of his creation. Now here's something else you can think about sometime when you're having trouble going to sleep. If you trust Christ, your Savior is the king of glory. There is nothing that will ever happen in His creation that's against His will. Then is your soul secure? You betcha it is. You betcha it is. It is as long as Christ is your only hope. As long as He's all of your plea, your sin, He has made an atonement for your sin.

All right. It's all Christ, isn't it? It's all Him. All right, let's bow together. Our father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this glorious picture of Christ, our savior. And father, I pray that you would set in the hearts of each one of us here tonight, faith in Christ. So we're not just looking at the picture, but we have faith in the person. We'd love the person. We submit ourselves to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of sinners.

Father, how we thank you. And father, I freely confess that we ask great things of you. Great thing is a great blessing that you would give centers like us faith in Christ, that you would cleanse us in the blood of Christ. But father, for the glory of your son, we ask that you'd be pleased to save us.

For the glory of Christ, I pray that you would give each one of us the faith to look to him and believe him and trust him. Father, it's in Christ's name, for his sake and his glory, we pray, amen. All right, Sean. Okay, turning your hymnals to song number 129, we'll sing At the Cross. 129. Stand as we sit. Alas, and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day. Was it for crimes that I have done? He groaned upon the tree. Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree. At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away.

It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day. Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in, When Christ the mighty Maker died, For man the creature's sin. At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay the debt of love I owe. Here, Lord, I give myself away, tis all that I can do. At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day.