Hope in a goat?
Notes
Transcript
Why is it that my Grandparents, Parents, Siblings, Co-worker, or Friend persisted I come to church on Easter?
They have experienced the never ending joy and the life altering relationship with God himself.
And they want you to experience and have the same joy and life altering relationship with God.
I know on Easter Sunday their are a few different categories of ppl that come.
1. You know and have great personal relationship with God. You are here today to worship Him and thank Him for calling you to be one of His children, for taken on your sin as His own on the cross and making things right between you and Him. - This is the perfect day to worship God, give thanks, and celebrate!
2. You know God but life circumstances or maybe personal choices have gotten in the way of what the bible calls your first love. To the Church in Ephesus Jesus said to them.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
Repent: Make it right, do a u-turn and get back on track with me.
Today if the perfect day for you to get back on track and fall back in love with Jesus!
3. You might be what we call a truth seeker. Not sure about God or having a relationship with Him but one thing you know for sure is this world is messed up from the neck up / it is tore up from the floor up. And you know there has to be more and a better way of life. We are so glad that you are here. Church on The Hill is a body of believers that welcomes your quest for truth and we will patently answer any questions you may have on your truth seeking journey.
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Just to be clear and up front with you. We believe the truth that you are seeking is a relationship with Jesus. He might reveal that to you today.
4. Maybe you are atheist, someone who doesn't believe in a god. Or maybe you’re agnostic, someone who doesn't believe it's possible to know for sure that a god exists. You might be here to appease your friend or family member that invited you or your mom who voluntold you that you were coming. Thank you for loving your friend or family member. You are safe here and we promise not to heap a bunch of guilt upon you. But I ask one thing. Be open to possibly hearing or learning something that you have never heard or learned before.
Message title: Hope in a Goat?
The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is the highest holy day of the Jewish calendar. In the Old Testament, the High Priest made an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement. This act of paying the penalty for sin brought reconciliation (a restored relationship) between the people and God. There would be two goats. One goat was the blood sacrifice (atoning sacrifice) offered to the Lord. The high priest transferred the sins of the nation of Israel to a second goat, by confessing them with both hands upon its head. The goat was then released into the wilderness to symbolically carry away the sins of the people.
The second goat is in the bible is were we get our word scapegoat.
This "scapegoat" was never to return. But sometimes they would come back home.
What do you think the Jewish peoples reaction at that time must have been seeing the entire nations symbolic sins returning to them?
The goat walks back into Jerusalem and announces this to the people!
Goat Scream Video / playback speed 0.75: https://youtu.be/Ar-IEE_DIEo
I read one article that said they started taking the goat out to the wilderness to were a cliff was and would help it find it’s way to the other side. Billy Nooooo!
Christ the scapegoat. - 700 years before Jesus was alive the prophet Isaiah talks about Jesus being our scapegoat on the cross.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Iniquity - Sin / punishment
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Will justify many / He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
He poured out his life unto death / For he bore the sin of many.
So what is Easter about. We are celebrating The Atonement - the reconciliation (a restored relationship) of God and humankind through Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Modern day Def. Scapegoat - a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others.
Have you ever been someone else scapegoat? Older siblings do you have a story? Clothes hanger case of 1979. The plaintiff and veteran prosecutor and Judge (step Mom) Vs. the defendant 6 1/2 year old me and Pro se legal representation (fancy legal term to say / I was my own attorney / there was no public defender).
What was the charge? All the wire clothes hangers in my older brothers closet were all bent. It looked like someone jumped up and pulled on them.
My defense was strong. I had a personal eye witness to “who done it”.
I know English teachers it is “who did it” but remember I was 6 1/2 years old.
“Who done it” Pastor? My 5 year old little half brother! I saw him do it with my own two eyes. I even told him to stop. But did he listen??? Older siblings please answer with me! NOOOOOO.
I looked the Judge aka Mom straight in the eyes. With confidence in my voice declaring “Case closed”!
Case closed? Ah Nope.
Veteran prosecutor aka Mom: she had a rebuttal - Your brother is short (true/facts) and could not have jumped that high and reached the hangers. So stop lying. It was you.
Did I have a chance to call in the other alleged suspect for cross examination? Older siblings? Noooo.
Veteran prosecutor (aka Mom) turned to the Judge (aka Mom) for a verdict.
Guilty as charged / punishment - took a really good spanking. Frustrating right?
So some of us know what it is like to be wrongly accused and sentenced.
17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
They all answered “Crucify him”
Jesus Barabbas - Let go.
Jesus the Messiah - sent to be sacrificed for the atonement of mankind’s sin. To become our scapegoat by taking all our sins upon himself.
The tale of two other men crucified at the same time as Jesus.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.
They crucified two rebels
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Was numbered with the transgressors.
29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!
Those who passed by hurled insults at him / Mocked him
Do you remember what Jesus kept doing as they hurled insults? He said Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The rebels / heaped insults on him.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
One of the criminals / But the other criminal rebuked him / But this man has done nothing wrong
Contradiction of scripture? “Au contraire, mon frère”
What happened? Change of heart. That is what some of you need. A change of heart.
He found his “Truth” that some of you truth seekers are looking for.
Vs. 41 - We are punished justly we are getting what we deserve. - Admitting his sin.
But this man has done nothing wrong. - Declares Jesus’ innocents.
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus remember me -
“If this Man is indeed the Christ, and if He has a kingdom, and if He has saved others, then He can meet my greatest need which is salvation from sin. I am not ready to die!”
It took courage for this thief to defy the influence of his friend and the mockery of the crowd, and it took faith for him to trust a dying King! When you consider all that he had to overcome, the faith of this thief is astounding.
Now that he has found his truth. He asked Jesus remember me
What was Jesus’ answer? Nope you are a thief a sinner. Nope you have not be baptized. Nope you have never stepped foot in Church on The Hill in Riverside.
Jesus answered him -
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.
The man hoped for some kind of help in the future, but Jesus gave him forgiveness that very day, and he died and went with Jesus to paradise
The man was saved wholly by grace; it was the gift of God Eph. 2:8–9 He did not deserve it and he could not earn it. His salvation was personal and secure, guaranteed by the word of Jesus Christ.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Today, Easter 2023 will you long time followers of Jesus rejoice in your salvation and thank The G.O.A.T.
Today, Easter 2023 will those of you that are returning to your first love recommit your life to Jesus. The G.O.A.T.
Today, Easter 2023 will you end your truth seeking and put your faith and trust in Jesus. The G.O.A.T.
Today, Easter 2023 will you as an atheist or agnostic put your faith and trust in Jesus. The G.O.A.T.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.