I Can't But I WIll Part 2 - Yom Kippur

Recap of last week

Joshua tells the children of Israel they can’t serve the Lord because He will not forgive their sin.

Many people are hesitant to begin their journey of following Jesus because they doubt their capacity to be forgiven of their wrongs.

We talked about the thief on the cross who was moments away from hell when he heard Jesus utter the word “forgive.”

If Jesus can declare forgiveness from the cross, then he certainly can declare it from the throne!

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Today we are continuing our exploration of I Can’t but I will by further exploring the concept of not being forgiven with an emphasis on the concept of atonement.

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Traditions

We are a church that is structured to be a modern interpretation of church.

We use lights, and screens, and sing songs that are more modern than some other churches.

This is an intentional decision.

The problem with being structured that way is that sometimes taking a modern approach can be misinterpreted to mean that we are anti-tradition.

Traditions are powerful in the proper context.

Traditions find their most powerful meaning when you remember and understand the meaning of the tradition.

The etymology of tradition literally means to “deliver across.”

Traditions simply deliver stories across the spans of generations.

THE STORY IS EVERYTHING!

So traditions should not be considered solely based on the thing they are but rather the story they remind us of.

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Grandma Mayberry and Her Dumplings

My whole family would go nuts over those dumplings

I didn’t like them at all!

But I would eat them every year

Because I loved my grandma Mayberry

There was a time that my Grandma would make blackberry dumplings and chicken and dumplings and we would all eat them…Because it made us remember Grandma Mayberry.

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We need to know where we came from

We have a western church culture that devalues the tradition that our faith was born from.

Until just the last few years I was ignorant as to the meaning and impact of jewish feasts, festivals, and holy days.

I’m still actively learning them...

Yet they are the foundation of our entire faith journey.

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Jesus is a fulfillment…not an abolishment

I think it is worth noting why some of the ceremonies and traditions of the law are still of merit and value to us today...

Many people are apprehensive to even consider the old testament law because they say we are under grace now.

They submit that Jesus came to “do away” with the law...

This is a mischaracterization of scripture.

Matthew 5:17 NKJV

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

The word “fulfill” is the greek word = pleroo

This word gives the picture of a basket full of sand.

Jesus came to fill up the emptiness that the law had left.

The law was not the problem…it was man’s inability to keep it.

As we come to understand the aspects of the law and the traditions behind it we gain a better understanding of the sacrifice of our savior....

Jesus is the content that fulfilled the law

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But I’m not jewish

But Pastor Tyler…I’m not jewish...

As you might be able to ascertain from my skin, hair, and eye color…I also am not of jewish ethnic descent.

BUT I HAVE BEEN GRANTED ENGRAFTMENT INTO THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

Galatians 3:29 NKJV

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Every person who has accepted Jesus and is walking in relationship with Him has been made a part of the seed of Abraham and heirs of the promises mad to him.

SO THE BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS OUTLINED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ARE OF DIRECT CORRELATION OT US AS CHRIST FOLLOWERS.

One of the greatest tragedies of western christianity is our abandonment of eastern understanding.

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Introducing Yom Kippur

That being said…today is Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Day of Atonement

A day of fasting, self-denial, and rest on the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishri) on which the sanctuary is cleansed of impurities and the Israelites’ sins are sent away on the scapegoat.

We are going to evaluate the significance of this day and it’s biblical precedent.

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Leviticus 16:3–14 NKJV

“Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness. “And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself. Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

Leviticus 16:29–34 NKJV

“This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

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The most serious day of the year

An important thing to note is that the day of atonement was the most somber day of the year for the nation of Israel. (Afflict your souls.)

It was a day in which the entire nation would be keenly aware of their sin.

The fasting that was called for as well as the call to abandon activity was for the purpose of reflecting on the fact that each individual had fallen short of the standard of God’s law.

The reason this was so devastating is because there was nothing that they could do about it.

Within the law…there was not a sacrifice that an individual could bring in order to atone for their sin on this day of atonement.

THEY WERE DEPENDENT UPON THE ACTIVITY OF THE HIGH PRIEST!

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The parallel in the present

We see a clear and evident shadow of our present reality.

We need to be made keenly aware of our sin

In a world that tries to disregard our sin and distract us from our sins.

This fact should create in us an inability to save ourselves.

Being a good person will not get you into heaven.

Giving to the poor will not get you into heaven.

Our sin will forever separate us from God based on our activity.

WE ARE DEPENDENT UPON THE ACTIVITY OF OUR HIGH PRIEST!

Jesus is our high priest

Hebrews 2:17 NKJV

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

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1. Atonement required a humbled high priest

The high priest was typically wearing elaborate clothes.

Exodus 28 (golden attire)

But on the day of atonement they were called to put on the linen ephod

They were called to change even the type of undergarments they were wearing.

This was a complete act of lowering.

The day of atonement did not start with the goat or the bull...

It started with the high priest humbling himself.

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My salvation started with a humbled high priest

Our atonement was finished on the cross…but that’s not where it started.

Our atonement started when our high priest humbled himself

He left the splendor of heaven and wrapped himself in humanity.

Humility is one of the greatest attributes that we can carry in our walk as Christ followers.

Because humility sits at the foundation of our salvation.

James 4:6 NLT

And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

We may never fully understand just how much Christ set aside!

The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, Vol. II The Day of Atonement (No. 95)

Oh! my soul, adore thy Jesus, who when he made atonement, humbled himself and wrapped around him a garb of thine inferior clay. Oh! angels, ye can understand what were the glories that he laid aside. Oh! thrones, and principalities, and powers, ye can tell what was the diadem with which he dispensed, and what, the robes he laid aside to wrap himself in earthly garbs. But, men, ye can scarce tell how glorious is your High Priest now, and ye can scarce tell how glorious he was before. But oh! adore him, for on that day it was the simple clean linen of his own body, of his own humanity, in which he made atonement for your sins.

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2. Atonement required a spotless high priest.

The first portion of the instruction in Leviticus 16, was based on the cleansing of the priest.

Aaron was unable to enter the holy place until He had first made atonement for his own sin.

Even when serving as the high priest…Aaron was sinful.

SN: GOD HAS ALWAYS USED SINFUL PEOPLE...

As we look back on the ultimate day of atonement…we can celebrate the fact that our high priest did not have to commit acts of purification.

There was no sin in HIM!

Hebrews 4:15 NKJV

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

His holiness qualified him to carry humanities heaviness.

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3. Atonement required a persistent high priest.

If you study the entire narrative of Leviticus 16, as well as look at a deeper clarification of the activity of the Day of Atonement in Numbers 29. We can piece together that the sacrifices required on the day of atonement required the slaughtering of 10-15 animals.

The high priest was the only one who could accomplish this task.

This was not an easy days work.

This was laborious work

This was messy work

This was painful work.

But the priest could not allow weariness to cause him to give up in the middle of the task.

This day carried with it the idea of atoning for a years worth of sins for the nation.

As Aaron would be sweating and breathing heavily with neurons screaming of muscle soreness...

He couldn’t give up because the task was far too important!

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Our high priest was not slaughtering animals for the sake of a yearly penance...

Rather, He himself was the one being slaughtered…

John 1:29 NKJV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This sacrifice was not for a year of forgiveness…but an eternity of covered sins.

Every man…Every sin…Of all time.

This was not an easy day..

He didn’t enjoy the process...

He begged the Father to remove the cup from Him before it even began.

But as he walked the road with his insides hanging out.

He carried a wooden beam that would have been heavy at full health

He was already exhausted from the stress of Gathsemene

Now he bore the beating of the court and the weight of the cross...

BUT HE DID NOT GIVE UP!

Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This atonement required a priest who was humbled, holy, and persistent...

But what was the price of atonement?

Put simply....the price of atonement was the blood.

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Sin has always had a cost

There had to be a price paid for sin...

God could not simply disregard our sin and allow us to walk in relationship...

His holiness demanded there be a payment made for the fallen nature of man!

The day of atonement is the most serious and somber day in jewish tradition…because it carries with it a vivid picture of the seriousness of sin.

Sin has always cost a life...

Romans 6:23 NKJV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What does it look like for Jesus to fulfill the law?

Tradition held within rabbinic literature states that once the atonement was made the scarlet thread that was attached to the goat would turn red and this miraculous sign would indicate to those gathered for the ceremony that their sins were atoned for.

But history bears out that this phenomena stopped at a certain point in history.

During all forty years that Shimon HaTzaddik served as High Priest, the lot for God arose in the right hand. From then onward, sometimes it arose in the right hand and sometimes it arose in the left hand. Furthermore, during his tenure as High Priest, the strip of crimson wool that was tied to the head of the goat that was sent to Azazel turned white, indicating that the sins of the people had been forgiven, as it is written: “Though your sins be as crimson, they shall be white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). From then onward, it sometimes turned white and sometimes it did not turn white.

Yoma 39b

The details of this passage indicate a time that historians place at a point about forty years before the temple was destroyed.

The destruction of the temple took place in AD70

If this passage predates that destruction by forty years

This would indicate that the rites of purification lost their efficacy in AD30

JESUS FULFILLED THE ATONEMENT

The bulls and goats pushed sin forward for generations.

Jesus accomplished the task of atoning for the sin of mankind.

Hebrews 10:4–10 NKJV

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ” Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

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A serious day turned celebratory

One last parallel that I want us to see regarding Christ on this Yom Kippur is that with his atonement he also purchased freedom.

The day of atonement was always a somber day in jewish history…but every fifty years it would turn into a celebration at the end.

Leviticus 25:8–10 NLT

“In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven sets of seven years, adding up to forty-nine years in all. Then on the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year, blow the ram’s horn loud and long throughout the land. Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan.

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Jubilee, Year Of

In this year there was a proclamation of liberty to Israelites who had become enslaved for debt, and a restoration of land to families who had been compelled to sell it out of economic need in the previous 50 years.

Jesus created a standing of continual spiritual jubilee.

Luke 4:18 NKJV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

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On this day of atonement…we are aware of our sin

But we are even more aware of the price that was paid by our high priest.

Our sins have been atoned for if we will but receive the finished work of Christ.

YOUR DEBTS ARE FORGIVEN…YOUR BONDAGE IS BROKEN…AND YOUR FUTURE IS NO LONGER DETERMINED BY YOUR PAST…BECAUSE THE HIGH PRIEST WHO PAID FOR OUR ATONEMENT ALSO PROCLAIMS OUR JUBILEE!!!

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The price of atonement on Yom Kippur was the blood of bulls, goats, and lambs...

This would atone for a time...

The blood of bulls, goats, and lambs paid the price for a season.

The blood of the lamb of God paid the price for eternity.

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His blood was shed for you.

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Communion

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 NKJV

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”