Closer through Atonement

Warren Brosi

September 3, 2023

Dominant Thought: Atonement opens the way to God’s heart.

Objectives:

I want my listeners to understand the meaning of atonement: to purify and pay for sin.

I want my listeners to see how the Day of Atonement looks back to Eden and forward to Jesus.

I want my listeners to experience the grace of God through the atonement Jesus gives.

What do you do when accidentally do something you shouldn’t have done? How do you respond when you keep your mouth shut in a situation you know if you speak up, it will help keep someone from trouble. What about those situations were you blatantly and deliberately deceive someone? Our sins will eventually find us out. Our sins pile up over time need to be addressed. We need a clean slate. God’s children in Leviticus know the feeling. And thankfully, God in His grace offers a special day near the beginning of their calendar year to wipe the slate clean. It’s called the Day of Atonement. On this day, God forgives the sins of his children from blunders—sins, premeditated wrongdoing.

The Day of Atonement in Hebrew is called, “Yom Kippur.” As we have seen, Leviticus is at the center of the heart of God’s law. It is in the middle of the first five books of the Law from Genesis to Deuteronomy. Leviticus 16 serves as the center of the center. As the outline of Leviticus shows, the entire book centers around this most holy day of the year, the day of Atonement. In our time today, we’ll look at this special day in the Hebrew calendar and I want to lift up three images from this day to help us see the importance of the day of the Atonement for the children of Israel and how it points to our day of atonement as Christ followers.

Read Leviticus 16.1-10, 12, 15.

First, The curtain reminds us of God’s separation from our sin (Leviticus 16.2, 12, 15). The curtain separates the holy place from the Most Holy Place. Only one person could enter the Most Holy Place and he could only enter one day a year, the day of atonement. The high priest would enter the Most Holy Place.

In the opening verses of Leviticus 16, we read the warning of what happens when you enter God’s presence unprepared and uncleansed. Nadab and Abihu were killed because they didn’t respect and honor God’s expectations.

The curtain clearly defines the Most Holy Place is off limits. In Exodus 26.31, God instructs the curtain of veil to be woven with cherubim, winged like creatures. As one looks at the this curtain, you could remember the cherubim with the flaming sword guarding the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3.24). The curtain and the cherubim were reminders that God is holy and perfect and life. Sinful humanity is unable to cross into this abode in their sinful state.

Throughout the tent of meeting, one would encounter barriers. The nations could not get very close. The Israelites could enter, but not as close as the priests. The priests could get closer to the Most Holy Place, but not as close as the high priest. It’s like the security of location that has scanners or fingerprint images. For most people, it would say, “Access denied.” The curtain was a visible reminder that the perfect holiness of God is too dangerous for sinful humanity.

Then, Jesus arrived. 2 Corinthians 5.14-21 describes the ministry of Jesus to reunite us back to God. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. Read 2 Corinthians 5.14-21. Christ died to satisfy the penalty for sin. The sinless one took on sin so that we could be reunited with God.

Matthew 27.45-51 narrative the final moments of Jesus on the cross. At the moment that Jesus gave up his spirit and died, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27.51). It’s as if God was saying, the way is made open. Atonement opens the way to God’s heart.

In a great sermon, by James S. Stewart, “The Rending of the Veil,” Stewart imagines the priests trying to sew that curtain back together to maintain their traditions and the dignity of the Most Holy Place. Then he quoted Jesus Christ, “What God has joined, let man not put asunder.” What God has put asunder, let not man put together.”

This opened way can give us hope to hold on to Jesus (Hebrews 10.23). We respond by holding tight to the hope of Jesus (Hebrews 10.23). The image in this verse is to hold tight, fast, unswervingly. You don’t let go of the hope of Jesus. Both of these verse describe how Jesus purifies or cleanses our consciences. Since, that guilt is taken away once and for all, we hold Jesus close. You hold close what you value most.

Second, The blood reminds us of the cost to pay and purify our sin (Leviticus 16.11-19). One cannot get out of Leviticus chapter 1 without reading about a slaughtered bull and blood (Leviticus 1.5). 88 times in Leviticus you read about blood. Leviticus 17.14 reminds us the life of any creature is its blood.

Aaron takes the bull to make atonement for himself and his household (Lev. 16.6, 11). Later, in Leviticus 16.22, Aaron, the high priest makes atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

That sacrifice of blood provides atonement. Atonement pays for and purifies people and things from uncleanness or sin. Throughout Leviticus 16, we see people and places atoned: a sin is paid or something or someone is cleansed. The primary means for atonement is blood. Blood is sprinkled on the atonement cover or mercy seat. It was the top of the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place. It was sprinkled on the cover seven times. It is spread on the horns of the altar (Lev. 16.18-19).

Hebrews 9.11-14 shows us how to respond to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. We respond by serving the living God (Hebrews 9.14). The word for serve is connected to worship. It is the priestly service. We worship and serve the one who rescued our lives. We honor Jesus.

Third, The goat reminds us how sin is sent away (Leviticus 16.20-22, 29-34). In these scenes, one goat is sacrificed and the other goat is led away outside of the camp. The high priest lays his hands on the head of the goat, called the scapegoat, presses on the head and confesses the sins of the people. In view of all, he may have been looking out over the people and recalling the sins of the camp.

The sins are placed on this goat and then led out into the desert. Some later traditions say the goat was led out and pushed over a cliff (Mishnah, Yoma 6.6).

The scapegoat visually portrays the sins of the camp leaving and not coming back…until tomorrow. As we saw earlier in Hebrews 10, Christ is the perfect sacrifice once for all. He is the one who opened the way back to the Father’s heart so we would not have to keep sacrificing animals daily and on the special day of atonement, once a year. Our day of atonement, we call Good Friday, the day Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the world, but who also conquered death.

In Hebrews 13.11-14, the writer invites us to “go to Him [Jesus] outside the camp...”

Romans 3.21-25 gives us a more complete understanding of how the blood of Christ provides atonement for our sins. We respond by trusting Jesus as the only way who can fully and completely take away our sins.

Remember, Atonement opens the way to God’s heart. We respond to that gift through holding on tight to the hope of Jesus, serving the living God, and trusting Jesus to take away our sins.