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You're listening to audio from Faith Church Indy. This Lent, we're studying the book of Leviticus, learning about how imperfect people can have a relationship with a perfect God. Now here's the teaching.

Would you stand together to hear God's word out of respect for the word of the Lord. Our reading today is from Leviticus chapter 16, verses 11 through 19. And from Hebrews chapter 9, verses 11 through 14.

From Leviticus 16, Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself and he shall take the censer of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of incense and he shall bring it inside the veil and put it in on the fire of incense before the Lord. The cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony so that he does not die.

And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger in front of the mercy seat on the east side and in front of the mercy seat. He shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. He shall then kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.

Thus he shall make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions and all their sins. And he shall do for the tent of meeting which dwells within them in the midst of their uncleanness. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.

Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his fingers seven times and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the people of Israel. And from Hebrews chapter 9 verses 11 through 14.

When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is not of this creation, he entered once and for all into the holy places, not by the means of the blood of goats and calves, but by the means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. This is the word of the Lord.

You may be seated. Well, if you're thinking that can't be Pastor Nathan up there, I see someone up there with a suit and tie, or not a tie, but a suit and jacket. Your eyes do not deceive you.

It is me. I'm excited to share with you this morning our final message of our Atone series, but I have an invitation for you as we get going. We all come in every Sunday morning, but even on Sundays like Easter, with things on our mind.

We come in with thoughts of what's happening next. We got family in town. We got festivities.

Maybe you're already salivating about that prime rib you're going to be eating for lunch, but my invitation to you is for the next however long we're here, to lay aside what you came in with, to lay that at the feet of Jesus as we enter into a time of studying God's word, because I believe that the power of God's word has the power to transform our lives, and so that's my invitation to you, and so as we turn to a time of looking at Leviticus and Hebrews and the resurrection of Jesus, let's begin with just a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, my prayer is that my words would not be my words, but they would be your words. My prayer is that the meditation of our hearts and the words of my mouth would be pleasing in your sight, because you are our Lord, our rock, and our Redeemer.

Amen. Well, I was reminiscing a little bit this week with some of my brothers about a day in our childhood that kind of lived in infamy. We were never given much warning about this day, but when we woke up on a Saturday morning, we heard the Michael W. Smith CD playing in the kitchen stereo, we knew that it was spring cleaning day.

I don't know if you guys made your kids do this, or if this was your first time, but this was just something that our family did, but it was this time once a year where, you know, we would wake up and be surprised to know that it's time to get out the old toothbrushes to scrub the baseboards and the grout lines. It's time to not just clean the toilets, but clean every aspect of the bathroom and the bathtub, right? And it was this day that we knew we couldn't get out of it. We knew we had to go through it, but the unfortunate thing is it happened every year, and it came back every year, and of course we had our chores.

We had our dishes and other cleaning. We cleaned our rooms regularly, right? We were not slobs, but I was one of eight boys, so you can imagine how that household became over time. And I think herein lies the sin problem.

Because of our guilty conscience and our sinful nature, we, like the baseboard or like the grout lines, we are perpetually unclean. We are perpetually sinful. And this is the problem that God is addressing in the book of Leviticus that we've been studying this Lenten season.

How can a pure, holy, and righteous God dwell with his sinful people? How is it that Moses and Aaron in Numbers chapter 1 verse 1, that God speaks to Moses and Aaron in the tent of meeting? And the vehicle for that purification is atonement. And so we've seen how the book of Leviticus, right, this manual, reads like a manual, right? It's this manual for the priests and the people of Israel of how to conduct the priesthood, how to conduct these sacrifices. The book of Leviticus is written with this chiastic structure.

It points us to the main point at the middle of the book, which is chapter 16, the day of atonement. And so on Friday, Pastor Jeff introduced that to us, and today is the culmination of that. So we're looking at the day of atonement.

And so here during this time, my prayer for us is that we can see, know, and believe that the resurrection is proof that Christ secured our atonement. The resurrection is proof that Christ secured our atonement. And so as we gather, as we read, as we study and reflect, as we celebrate the greatest day in human history, we will be looking at our unsettled problem and the final verdict.

Our unsettled problem and the final verdict. Well, first, hopefully you kind of got a sense of our unsettled problem as we heard the words of Leviticus 16. Because for God and his people, he was able to descend and dwell in the tabernacle, right? That happens at the end of Exodus.

But Moses and Aaron couldn't go in. He was with his people, but there was still barriers to his presence. And the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron's sons, who had offered inappropriate sacrifices, that had given Israel a very real picture of the necessity of atonement.

Because ideally, in an ideal world, Israel as a whole would be able to have their sins atoned for by the general sin and burnt offerings that we read about in chapters 4 and 5 and again in chapters 11 through 15. But the reality is that some would have been unaware of their sin, just like you and I are sometimes unaware of our sin. They might have been unaware of ways they had defiled themselves or become unclean.

And others might have actually been aware of their sin, but due to hardness of heart or due to pride, refused to obey and offer sacrifices. So in a situation like Nadab and Abihu, the entire community of Israel had become unclean because of the sinfulness of two brothers. And so God needed to make atonement for all of them at one time.

And so the Day of Atonement provides the way for God to make full atonement for their sin and for their impurity, ensuring that they could continue in covenant fellowship with him. The Day of Atonement was a day that was set apart as most holy and sacred. It was the tenth day of the seventh month, which signifies perfection.

And so every aspect of the instructions about the day communicate the gravity of what God was about to do. And in fact, in later rabbinic writings, you know, both throughout the Old Testament and then also during the time of Jesus, the rabbis began to just refer to it as the day, right? Because there was only one day in mind when they talk about the day. It was the Day of Atonement.

And so we read in verse 3 of chapter 16 of Leviticus, "...but in this way Aaron shall come into the holy place." Meaning this is the way. This is how you are to obey. This is what you are to do and in this way.

Now I'm just going to briefly summarize all the steps that had to go into it, right? And I say all this just to give you guys the feel of the gravity of everything that was required for atonement to be made for the people. They had to take a bull for the sin offering and a ram for the burnt offering. The priest, the high priest had to lay aside his normal glorious priestly garments and had to take a cleansing bath, put on simpler white garments and tunic.

He had to take two male goats, one additional ram for the burnt offering of the people. He had to make atonement for himself with the bull of the burnt offering and then cast lots for the goats. One for the sin offering, one for the scapegoat that was sent away as Pastor Jeff talked us through on Good Friday.

Then he would enter into the most holy place with a censer of coals and incense so that he would be clouded and shrouded in this cloud of incense so that he would be covered from the mercy seat and he would not die. Then he would take the blood of the bull sin offering and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. The sin offering of the goat was for the people and he would do the same thing with the blood of the goat that he did with the blood of the bull.

Then he takes the blood out and makes atonement for the altar, putting the blood on the horns all around. He would present the second goat, lay his hands on it, confess over it the sins and the iniquities of the people and then send it away into the wilderness. The goat is now unclean because it has the sins of the people so it must be sent out.

There were even instructions about what the man who took the goat out was to do when he got back. Then the high priest takes off his white linen garments, takes another bath, and then prepares himself for the burnt offerings where he takes the two rams, one for him and one for the people. There's a lot that went into this day and it was all meant to communicate the necessity of it, the holiness of God, how set apart he was from his people, but how much he wanted to dwell with his people.

And then at the center, right? If Leviticus 16, if the day of atonement is the center of the book of Leviticus, at the center of all these instructions, verse 16, the center of the center, we see this. Verse 16, Thus he shall make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel, because of their transgression, all their sins. And he shall do for the tent of meeting which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness.

This was the most special day out of the whole year, but it had to be repeated year after year because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel, because of their transgression and because of their sins. But there was this day, this day of atonement. And then in the end of chapter 16 in verses 29 to 34, we didn't read those verses earlier, but this is where the people of Israel are addressed as a whole about how they are to celebrate and remember the day of atonement year after year.

Verse 30, For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. This day was to be a Sabbath day, a solemn day of rest.

Doesn't matter what day of the week, right? It's the 10th day of the 7th month. It might change year to year, but that day is a day of rest. Verse 34, And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.

And then the end of verse 34, we see the obedience. And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses. So through the day of atonement and the high priest's faithful obedience, God had provided a solution to the sin problem.

But the solution was temporary. The work of the priests was never finished. So I want you to visualize with me for a moment what it would have been like for an Israelite on that special day.

There'd be a lot of anticipation, right? A lot of anticipation as they anticipate this day. More than what we anticipate for our own holidays or our own anniversary celebrations. Because this was a matter of life and death.

Will the sacrifices be accepted? Or will the high priest end up like Nadab and Abihu? And so with that anticipation, there was a lot of anxiety, right? Not just because of the weight or the gravity of the situation, but also no one except the high priest was permitted in the tent of meeting during the happenings that were going on. There was no window to see the process of what was going on. You had to just believe by faith that it was happening.

You know, it's not like the cooking shows that we all watch, right? With all the different camera angles, all the different sideline interviews. There's no play-by-play of the Day of Atonement. You're just outside and waiting.

So there's probably some impatience that's welling up. You're holding your breath. You feel the butterflies welling up in your stomach as the high priest goes behind the curtain.

What do you think those Israelites felt when the high priest exited the Most Holy Place with the blood of the sin offerings to make atonement on the horns of the altar? Right, there'd probably be a sigh of relief. The high priest walking out of the Most Holy Place and not dying was proof that he had obeyed and faithfully did what the Lord required. Him walking out alive was the proof.

And there was blood likely splattered across his white pure garments because think about it, sacrifices is not a clean job. There's blood that gets everywhere and he sprinkles the blood. And so yes, he's gonna exit with blood on him.

And that was the sign that atonement had been made. It took a tremendous amount of faith to believe that the blood of animals, right, animals that had no choice in the matter, no volition of their own, that that would truly deal with the sin problem of God's people and allow for God to dwell with his people, right? You and I make choices that are sinful. Israel made choices that were sinful.

And yet we're supposed to believe and have faith that the sacrifice of innocent animals is going to cover my sin. And then the reason that the sin problem was an unsettled problem was because the law, the sacrifices, even the day of atonement could not cleanse completely our sinful consciences. There is relief when the Israelites saw the high priest walk out, but the next morning, was it enough? Did it stick? Right, you're left wondering the next morning, okay, what do I do about the next time I sin? And then, yep, yay, more anxiety for the next year.

It left Israel with the realization that throughout the year, there was still just as much need for the day of atonement next year as there was the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that. And the next year, and the next year, and on and on. It was unsettled.

But listen to these words from Hebrews chapter 9, which Pastor Jeff read earlier. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Church, this is the final verdict. What the day of atonement pictured, Christ accomplished. There are clear connecting points between what the high priests did imperfectly and what Jesus, the great high priest, did perfectly.

The author of Hebrews calls this relationship a shadow. The thing about a shadow is that it isn't the real thing, but the shadow proves and points to the real thing. You can learn about the real thing by studying its shadow, and that's what we've been doing.

We've been studying the shadow, which is Leviticus. And so, listen to the ways that the author of Hebrews compares and mostly contrasts the work of the high priests of the Levitical priesthood and the work of Jesus, our great high priest. High priests served looking forward to good things that will come.

Jesus is the high priest of the good things that have come. He instituted the new kingdom. High priests entered into the earthly sanctuary made by human hands.

Jesus entered into the greater heavenly sanctuary, the very presence of the almighty God. High priests on the day of atonement entered year after year. Their work was never done, but Jesus entered once and for all.

High priests relied on the blood of bulls and goats to secure their atonement first, and then they could make atonement for the people. Jesus entered the holy sanctuary by means of his own blood. High priests, with animal sacrifices, made atonement for the purification of the flesh.

But Jesus, offering himself without blemish as the sacrifice for all, purifies not just our flesh, but our precise sinful conscience. After the day of atonement, the people of God always fell back into sin, needing atonement time after time. But because of Jesus, we've been brought out of death, given new life, and can serve the living God.

As I was preparing my message for today, I was getting some feedback from others on our teaching team, and Nick Carter made this point. He asked about this question about the conviction that we still feel as believers. He said, what about the conviction of my conscience I still feel? Yes, that's the job of the Holy Spirit.

But what the author of Hebrews is saying is that because of the purification of Jesus, and because it is superior, I don't have to perpetually wonder if I am clean. I don't have to perpetually wonder, am I atoned for? So I can focus my heart and my energy on serving the living God, not worrying about appeasing Him. And if you remember way back where we started this series, Nick also helped us see that repeated through line in the first section of the book.

That first section is all about offerings and sacrifices. Does anyone remember that repeated through line that we hear over nine times in those chapters? And He shall be forgiven, right? Nine times. And we see the first echo of that in Leviticus chapter one, verse four, where it says, He shall lay His hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for Him to make atonement for Him.

Every Israelite had to have faith and believe that line, that it shall be accepted. They couldn't decide to have more days of atonement throughout the year just to feel better, right? They had to trust that God meant what He said. Six months in, they couldn't just decide, you know what? We've been particularly bad this year.

We should probably have another day of atonement sooner rather than later. No, it was once a year, and they had to trust God in that. It was an obedient faith that saves, not works, but faith.

And for 1,500 years, from the time of the institution of the Levitical priesthood all the way until Christ's death on the cross, for 1,500 years, it was a faith that it shall be accepted. And then for the 2,000 years since the death of Christ, it's a faith that it has been accepted. And so if atonement was made on the cross in Christ's death, then what's the point of His resurrection, right? Why is the Superbowl on Sunday morning, not on Friday night? Not the actual Superbowl, but you get the point I'm making, right? Why do we celebrate with joy on Sunday morning and remember our risen Lord? Well, Jesus rising from the dead and walking out of the tomb is proof, it is proof that His sacrifice indeed secured our eternal redemption and atonement.

If the body of Jesus is still in that grave, then our sin has not been paid for. The resurrection is the covenant ratification and that is the final verdict that you and I are bought and paid for. It is complete.

It is final. There are no refunds. Your conscience can be free because the grave is empty.

Visualize with me this moment as the seconds are ticking down before the resurrection. What do you think's happening the moments before Jesus's dead crucified body began to breathe? The disciples weren't waiting with bated breath, right? They weren't expecting a resurrection. There was no anticipation for them.

There's probably still a lot of anxiety though, right? They were in hiding from the Roman authorities and the Jewish authorities. They saw what happened to Jesus. The soldiers were standing guard over a tomb of a dead man.

Wondering how they drew the short straw to be stationed there. The women were on their way to the tomb to anoint Jesus's body with oil and spices that they had prepared because they didn't have time to do that on Friday night because it was the day of preparation. What do you picture heaven was like? Jesus, the perfect son of God, was dead in the grave.

But those seconds are ticking down. That moment is coming. One moment, there's silence.

The next moment, a new breath of life was breathed. And all hell broke loose because the grave could not hold him down. Our sin is the problem, but it is no longer unsettled.

It has been settled by the final verdict of Christ's resurrection from the dead. The resurrection is proof that Christ secured our atonement. So if this is true, how does your life look different? Now that your sinful flesh and conscience are purified by the blood of Jesus to serve the living God.

Maybe the hardest thing that you have to do today is believe the gospel. Could it be that there is a God with a love so outrageous that he would send his very son to die for you and for me? A love so wide, so vast, so deep that nothing can separate you from the love of God for those who are washed by the blood of Jesus. Could it be that his love is so strong and now ratified that we can stop toiling to earn his forgiveness, but we can rest in the forgiveness that he freely offers? The hardest thing for me to believe that is that my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.

Praise the Lord. It is well with my soul. Jesus willingly went to the cross for you and for me because he knew that in the father's plan, the pain, the suffering, the wrath, the mocking, the death would be worth it.

And he would do it a thousand times over. But he didn't have to do it a thousand times over. He only needed to do it once.

And unlike the scapegoat or the other animal sacrifices, Jesus went willingly to be the sacrifice for our redemption. And as a result, he wants you. God wants all of you.

He doesn't just want your money or your time or your songs or your words or your future. He wants you. He wants your heart, your true worship and devotion.

He wants a relationship with you. He was stubbornly unwilling to let the sin problem of Adam and Eve be the end of the human story. God took action to make a way for us to enter into his presence.

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