Cultivating Assurance: Certainty from the penal, substitutionary atonement of Christ (2)

Review

Aaron’s Garments: We bring nothing

Veiling Smoke: Jesus has made the Father known

Sin Offering: The death of Jesus secured our forgiveness and absorbed our guilt

How did God atone for our sins?

The atoning blood

Lev 16:14-15.

Leviticus 16:14–15 ESV

And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the 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. “Then he shall 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.

No one but the high priest sees the blood.

But God sees the blood.

Arron is instructed further in verses 18 & 19

Lev 16:18-19.

Leviticus 16:18–19 ESV

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 finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

The sacrifices are made in the outer sanctuary, but the blood is brought into the Most Holy Place.

This makes clear that only God will recognize the blood sacrificed for the people. Remember the Most holy Place was off limits to everyone accept the High Priest once a year on this Day of Atonement.

And as we noted last week, the penalty of sin is death and the blood of the sacrifice represents the death of the victim.

Praise God for what He has done in Christ:

Hebrews 9:12 ESV

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.

This, the redemptive work of Christ is the substance of our salvation and I suggest it is this same substance that is the essence of our assurance of our salvation.

The representative mediator

Lev. 16:16.

Leviticus 16:16 (ESV)

Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.

Aaron is acting as a representative.

Atonement is made for the whole community of Israel in the Tent of Meeting. This point is emphasized in the next verse.

Leviticus 16:17 ESV

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.

No one else is to be in the Tent of Meeting. No one needs to be present for the atonement of their sins to be secured.

This highlights the fact that Aaron and his successors would be acting as representatives for all the others.

Skipping down to verses 24-25, the rams, which we mentioned in verses 3 & 5, are sacrificed next for the people:

Leviticus 16:24–25 ESV

And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar.

Why a representative? This, like all the other aspects of the Day of Atonement, is pointing to the final sacrifice. It’s all pointing to Jesus. This is how we are meant to read the OT… our bibles. The central theme is Christ and His redemptive work.

This is what we see in

Hebrews 9:15 ESV

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

The Annual Sacrifice

Lev. 16:29-34.

Leviticus 16:29–34 ESV

“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 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 Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Verses 29 & 34 make clear that this day is to be observed annually.

What does the regularity and repetition of this day show?

The sacrifices were not ultimately sufficient

The people were in a state of sin.

So the Day of Atonement was to be a regular proclamation of their sin and of God’s grace.

And as you may be thinking, this points to the distinctiveness of the sacrifice of Jesus.

Hebrews 9:26 (ESV)

for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 10:12 (ESV)

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

So, think of the implications of the fact that Christ’s sacrifice was and is sufficient to pay the full penalty of our sin has for our assurance of our salvation.

I don’t think our consideration of the atonement of Christ was necessarily revelatory to many of us here, but this is where you and I need to dwell to lay hold of the certainty of our salvation. Not our feelings, not our behavior, not our insight…. Christ.. what He has done and who He is.

The Obedience of the High Priest

Lev. 16:34.

Leviticus 16:34 (ESV)

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 Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Israelites believed and obeyed, but Aaron and his successors needed to obey the Lord for the atonement for the people’s sins to be secured.

You know that the High Priest wold often rehearse his responsibilities ahead of time? The High Priest did not have the liberty to do as he saw fit here. He needed to make sacrifices for his own sin and the sin of his household first. Then sacrifice for the sins of the people. The scapegoat needed to be sent out. He needed to wear the right clothing. He needed to wash himself at the proper times.

Jesus was obedient to the Father.

John 8:29.

Luke 2:49.

Matt 3:13-17.

John 8:29 ESV

And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

Luke 2:49 ESV

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Matthew 3:13–17 ESV

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus obeyed the will of the Father (in the scheme of the covenant of redemption), and thereby demonstrated that He was the Messiah who came to take away the sins of the world.

And because Jesus was obedient to go to the cross, Hebrews 10:19-23 is true!

Hebrews 10:19–23 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

So, we don’t obey to maintain the work of Christ, but to proclaim the work of Christ. And as we obey, we strengthen our confidence of our assurance, but that’s where we will pick up next week.